


Plaumenkuchen vom Blech

by Gothams_Only_Wolf



Series: Bandaids and Bulletholes [1]
Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Cafe AU, Comfort Food, Cooking, Everyone Lives/Nobody Died AU, Gottbleed Week, I know I'm late, I write slow, Multi, Raleigh is an awesome cook, Raleigh's an actual puppy, TW: Blood and fights, apparently my thing is an OT3 with Newmann+PacRim pilots, more like Gottbleed Month, not even kidding, oh well
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-15
Updated: 2015-11-28
Packaged: 2018-02-20 14:28:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 23,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2432156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gothams_Only_Wolf/pseuds/Gothams_Only_Wolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AKA Layered Plum Cake </p><p>Raleigh doesn't understand the man with the cane who keeps looking for a fight. So he does what he's always done; patches him up and waits for him to come again next week.</p><p>Now with the food and drinks served within the fic!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. BAMF With a Cane

**Author's Note:**

  * For [uhnonniemiss](https://archiveofourown.org/users/uhnonniemiss/gifts), [knightphoenix2](https://archiveofourown.org/users/knightphoenix2/gifts).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Tumblr user Servotron/Darowen! Thank you for making Gottbleed a thing with my favorite artists. It woke the sleepy PacRim Muses back up with a vengeance. Yey. :) But seriously, if you read this it would make my day! 
> 
> Enjoy~

* * *

**-October 8-**

'Sound of Music' drifts out of the kitchen at an hour that has crickets still chirruping with people asleep. Raleigh's up to his elbows in bread dough and cakes that need to be finished before opening at seven. Tendo's almost done braiding the bread and he has coffee, bless the man. Yancy, the man behind the bakery, is sound asleep but he's finished slicing the plums. 

He quitely sings along with the soundtrack as he sets the last touches to everything and shuts the oven door with a soft noise. Raleigh shakes his head at Yancy snoozing away but his brother's worked so hard between his job as a firefighter and owning this hole-in-the-wall that he deserves the rest. 

"Mmm, plums need t' be fin'shed." his older brother mutters into the table. 

"They're done Yan. C'mon, upstairs with you." Raleigh tucks his brother into bed and then hears a loud crash from the bar across the way that's open from four in the evening until one in the morning. He nibbles his lip and decides, _'Eh, what the hell?'_ The gun's an afterthought, his years of service unable to keep him from taking it in the first place. He straps it around his thigh and his steps become catlike in their quietness. 

"That is no way to treat someone who told you gentlemen 'no' in the first place. It serves you right." The English accent is out of place but the rolling of the 'r's isn't something an English native would do. "Bloody imbeciles." Raleigh slips around the corner of the brickwork to see a thin man set his cane onto the blacktop with blood smearing his face and pooling onto the paisley shirt the man's wearing. "Oh dear. However am I going to get that out?" 

"Hydrogen peroxide or baking soda." He murmurs into the quiet alleyway and the man bristles impressively for his height of 5'9". "Not to worry, 'm just investigating the noise cause my place is right across th' way," Raleigh shows his bare floured hands to let the man know he's harmless. "You, uh, want some help with that?" He gestures rather plainly at the man's facial wounds. "I've got a kit back at the bakery." The disarming smile is one he learned saved lives in Afghanistan. 

"Are you medically qualified?" Raleigh laughs at the indignant tone the man adopts. 

"I'm a retired para-rescue. I think I know what I'm doin', sir." The man's face drops into something pained but Raleigh just leads the way back as slowly as he can while keeping an eye on the out-cold thugs. "Through here." Warmth practically pours through the doorway in the chilly fall weather so Raleigh snaps it shut quickly after getting the man inside. The lighting doesn't help the now bruising man's face and split lip but Raleigh just pulls the kit out from the med cabinet and sets it on the floury counter, nudging over a cushioned chair. 

"... Thank you." 

"Used t' be my job t' fix people up. Don't mind it much now. You're pretty messed up." 

"You should see the men you left in the alleyway then. I give as good as I get." the huffy quip has him shaking his head with a wry smile as he wipes away the blood with a damp cloth. He hisses in sympathy as the man clenches his teeth against the pain. 

"Split lip, split skin on your forehead an' a nice shiner that's not gonna fade for a coupla weeks. Lemme see your hands." The man dutifully holds them out and Raleigh starts shaking his head again. The skin is ripped across the knuckles-Oh. The slice along the man's forearm is shallow, thankfully, but would've been missed by ER personnel if they were busy enough. " _Jesus_. How did you manage that one?" 

"The ring leader had a knife. The young lady they were attempting to assault sprayed one of them in the face with pepper spray. He lashed out and I took the blow for her; I may have told her to run on home. I suspect she's phoned the police by now." comes the staunch reply. 

"Yeah. Hey, can I get your name in case they come by for a statement?" 

"Gottlieb." Gottlieb doesn't volunteer anything else and Raleigh assumes it's a last name. He unstraps the holster from his thigh and hangs it up out of sight of his current guest. 

"Becket. I run the place for the most part. We're havin' a coffee an' tea special if you're feelin' peckish at about seven or so." Raleigh says genially, receiving a half-smile for his efforts. He wraps the man's hand and wounds until Gottlieb's taken care of and the smell of the plum cake permeates the kitchen. 

"That smells quite homey." The wistful tone is followed by a deep appreciative sniff. He throws away the wrappings for the gauze, washing his hands purely by habit. 

"Ah, yeah. My brother an' I are half-French. Givin' the Euro style breakfast an' all that jazz." Raleigh hummed as he scooped the cakes out of the oven onto the cooling rack with oven-mitted hands. "I apologize if I'm rambling; 'm not too fond of silence anymore." 

"I see. Well, I think it best that I thank you and and recover at home." Gottlieb gives a slight nod and Raleigh returns it. He gets slapped with a need to feed Gottlieb before the man goes home for the day. 

"You, uh, wanna take somethin' home with you? I've got extra muffins that I can't sell but they still taste good." Raleigh uncovers the muffins, offering the basket with a shrug. "It's an aesthetics thing." 

"Hmm." The frown pulls at the taped lip but Gottlieb points out the muffins he'll take. Raleigh slid on plastic gloves and set them into the box labeled Gipsy Danger Café. He handed it over and let Gottlieb out the back way, something telling Raleigh the man would be back.

* * *

He happily hums snatches of 'This is Halloween' as the regulars come rushing in. Raleigh's in the middle of swirling whipped cream onto a spiced-cider latte when he hears bickering at the back of the line (which happens to end outside a lot). 

"Yan can ya finish this for me? Tendo, no bagels 'til break. Don't think I didn't catch you eyeing my creations." Raleigh orders as he dries his hands on the towel hanging from his apron pocket. "I'll get the disturbance." He marches over to the trio standing awkwardly in front of his and his brother's place, his crossed arms conveying his annoyance quite well. "May I help you gentlemen?" 

"Detectives Wei. We're here investigating an attempted assault and a self-defense claim. Could you spare a moment?" The tallest of the three (triplets, he was guessing) stated clearly in English, the lilt unlike any other Raleigh's heard before. 

"Sure. Can I see your badges?" All three nod and show him legitimate badges with serial numbers on the side. "Okay. What do you wanna know?" 

"We would like the scene from your perspective." The one wearing a deep red scarf under his peacoat spoke next and Raleigh was starting to tell them apart. 

"Heard a disturbance across the way, went to investigate. Brought my gun but it wasn't needed." He answers with a shrug as he glances into the café out of the corner of his eye. 

"You have a permit for that gun?" 

"That one an' th' three others in my apartment upstairs. Found a guy all bloodied up and three guys passed the fuck out around him. He said they were harassin' this girl an' she said no... Only they didn't want to hear her. So she sprayed one of 'em in the face with pepper spray and he took the knife slice meant for her. Told her to run an' I guess he knocked some sense into those guys." Raleigh made it short and sweet, knowing the Detectives didn't need bullcrap. 

"Did you get a name?" 

"Gottlieb. Think it's a last name." Remembering the details were important. "Oh. I fixed him up." 

"Why?" The last triplet inquired with a raised brow. 

"I'm retired military. We learn how ta stitch an' patch pretty good under fire." He flashes a small smile and checks his watch. "I'm sorry to cut this short, Detectives, but I've got a morning rush to finish. I'm here until four in the evening if you need anything else. I'm sure a lot of people need you guys. You want anything before you go?" 

The one in the red scarf looks at the tallest with puppy eyes. The other sibling rolls his eyes but motions that they join the line proper. Raleigh all but skips back inside because he's happy he helped their investigation. 

"So, Rals, gonna tell us what that was?" Tendo asked as he bumped hips with Raleigh. 

"Detectives investigating a self-defense/attempted assault thing. Poor guys looked exhausted. Bet they've been at this all morning." He replied to Tendo, digging around for his energizing secret ingredient. 

"Huh. Would that have anythin' ta do with the bloodied gauze patches in our garbage in the bathroom?" Yancy muttered as he passed behind them with ordered drinks. 

"Yup." 

"Great." His older brother's tone was pure sarcasm. "Grand. _Wonderful._ " 

"Oh shush." Tendo bopped Yancy on the head with his hand, changing the glove right after he did so. Both Yancy and Raleigh kept a cleaning standard that even master chefs couldn't stand but one that Tendo seemed to take with the patience of a saint. "Do we know this person?" 

"You might. You know everyone who ever enters this place." Raleigh teases as he bumps Tendo back. "Said his name was Gottlieb." 

"Hmm. I know six Gottliebs but you just cut out two already. Older, younger?" Tendo's good at this; it stands to reason this is his favorite job. 

"He had a cane if that helps any." He admits as he slides around Tendo to deliver the newly made drink with a smile to the customer. 

"No wonder he isn't at work. His ex-wife called and asked if I'd seen him." 

"Bad break?" Raleigh has no idea why he's interested. 

"Amiable, really. She loves him but she can't stand staying in one place for long so they agreed to go their own ways. Nessa's BFFs with Alison, so she back in town and worried after him." 

"Huh. Sounds like an episode on a TV drama." Yancy quips as he swings by with a tray for the sitting down section. 

"It gets better too. He's got a boyfriend that's good for him but they bicker like they breathe. Probably got pestered into staying at home for once. You picked the most stubborn out of the Gottliebs, for sure brother." Tendo continues as they work around each other in perfect harmony. "I'm so owed your bagels for this." 

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever, Tendo." He rubs shoulders with his best friend anyway. "What can I get you guys? Police an' military discount here." 

The detectives shuffle up to the counter and the one with the scarf does the ordering, "Two lattes and one oolong tea to go with three muffins." 

"Flavors?" 

"One raspberry, one banana and one chocolate," One of the other two mumbles something in another language and the one ordering sighs. "Make that four muffins and the last one a chocolate as well." 

"Anything else?" 

"Another coffee, this one a double expresso latte. Do you do latte art?" The tallest asks with a shuffle to allow his smaller sibling under his arm with a happy noise. 

"My brother's pretty good at it. Did you want something specific?" He mentions with a shrug. 

"Uhh, not sure if you know it but the _Coyote Tango_ -" 

"Jaeger from Pacific Rim? Oh yeah. My brother an' I are huge fans. You thought our name was coincidental?" Raleigh grins and they smile back. "Three lattes, one with Coyote Tango art, one tea and four muffins. Gotcha. That'll be eighteen bucks." 

"For four drinks and muffins? Not bad." The tallest pays and they wait at the counter while Yancy does his super fancy milk art with a toothpick and some coffee. They all crowd around the latte after it's done and grin. "Thanks." 

"Welcome."

* * *

It's near closing time when they get a visit from the 911 dispatcher who likes to come in for the quiet. 

"Hey Maks. Can I get you anything? On the house, y'know, cause you look like you're about to crash." Raleigh offers softly as he stirs his own coffee with one of Yancy's long toothpicks. 

"Hai. The triplets said you were very helpful today. They put away those gang-related men thanks to you." she says with a warm smile. Raleigh makes her a latte, same as always and she laughs when she sees it. "They brought me your coffee while I was on break." 

"The Coyote Tango was for you? Aww. They like you." 

"No. The only one who likes me is the one I'm dating. He's the one with the scarf and his name is Cheung. Jin is uninterested in dating at all and Hu has yet to settle down." She informs him with a raised brow. "What about you?" 

"Me? Nobody wants a war vet, Maks. Plus I come with Tendo, Alison an' Yan. Package deal and all." He sighs as she pins him with a look. "Okay, okay. So he might be cute." 

"Who?" 

"This guy I patched up that's linked with the triplets arrest. He was banged up pretty good but Tendo knows him an' he's already got someone." Raleigh groans as he thunks his head on the table. 

"Oh?" 

"Uh-huh. Maks, why the hell do I do that? I manage this _one_ time." Raleigh says as he raises his finger for the amount of times he's managed that feat. "Forever alone with my two cats and my brother. Oh joy." 

"It's not a terrible fate." Mako pokes his shoulder and lifts his face to press a kiss to his forehead. 

"Yeah. At least I still have him, Jazzy, Charlie an' all my friends." 

"There you go. You'll find the right one or two." 

"... Mako, are you suggesting I seduce this guy an' his boyfriend."

"Wherever did you hear that?" The sly tone she takes with him has him laughing into her shoulder. 

"Vague as ever, Maks. What would I do without you?" 

"Wallow in your misery and sigh every time a cute person passed you by in the street." Raleigh hugs Mako to him and blinks as he sees Gottlieb hesitantly enter. "Is that him?" 

"Definitely." The stark white of the bandages stick out in the dimly-lit café. 

"He's not traditionally handsome but," here Mako tilts her head to the side as Gottlieb walks over to the plum cake and smiles, "worthy of a chase. Go see to him." She moves so that she's on Raleigh's right and shoves him out of the booth with a boot to his butt. 

"Traitor!" He hisses at her but she only giggles as Gottlieb turns at the sound of his voice. "How's the face?" 

"It is as well as can be expected. May I have a slice of the plaumenkuchen and a strong tea?" The softness is something Raleigh suspects many people don't see. 

"Earl Grey good with you?" 

"Yes. You understood my German." Gottlieb leans carefully on the display case, taking care not to smudge the glass. 

"German's one of many languages I learned at my Mutti's knees." He replied in the same language, grinning as Gottlieb brightened even more. "Though I'm a bit out of practice. Hey, listen, can I get a first name to go with that last? I can't be calling you Gottlieb forever." 

The man appears to mull it over as Raleigh cuts three slices and steeps the tea, sliding over the marble counter to give Mako her slice. "I suppose so. Dr. Hermann Gottlieb at your service." 

"Retired Sgt. First Class Raleigh Becket at yours." He gives a sloppy salute and hears Mako sniggering into her latte. "Hush you, Miss you can flirt with him if you want." Raleigh sniffs in Mako's direction in Japanese, using the mountain slang she'd taught him years ago. He turns back to Hermann, relieved when he sees the man still eating his cake. "I can never tell if it's up to standard." Raleigh returns to German easily. 

"Oh, it is up to standard. It tastes of home." The wince is something Raleigh could've done without. 

"Did you change them today?" he asks in concern. 

"Twice. I have not had my pills as it makes me drowsy." Hermann concedes with a sigh. 

"Ibuprofen or amoxicillin?" Raleigh was assessing now. 

"Ibuprofen. I'm allergic to amoxicillin." 

"So's my brother. Pretty common actually. Listen, try some menstrual related meds. It gets rid of most pain and it doesn't make you too drowsy. Think I might have some around here." He scootches back around the counter and kneels down to dig through the cabinets. "Ah-ha. Here. Just two of 'em and take them right after you get home." 

"Do you dispense your knowledge to everyone this easily?" Hermann asks as he tucks away the pills in his sweatervest pocket. 

"All the time. I like helping people but I've had it up to my ears in trauma patients so I do it off to the side." Raleigh confesses with a shy look. "Sometimes folks don't want my help." 

"Caution is good. But you seem to brighten everyone's day." comes the soft compliment. 

"Yours too?" He murmurs with a glance. 

"Of course."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me what you thought and comment! Constructive crit and spelling errors appreciated! 
> 
> If you loved it and want more, I have more written!


	2. Wrapped Hands

**-October 14-**

Hermann started showing up at the end of each day, usually just to chat and occasionally to be patched up. After the third day of disinfecting scraped knuckles he'd gotten curious. 

"Hermann... Why do I keep fixing you? You're a Professor for a prestigious university. How ya keep managing ta get into fights is beyond me." He manages after he wraps Hermann's knuckles as gently as he can. "You want me to teach ya how to wrap your hands?" 

"I keep coming to you because I cannot stand by when I see an injustice." The man blushed a light pink as he flexed his hands. "It is complicated but I will defend those that others do not help. Newton understands but doesn't like it when I come home injured. You would do that?" 

"Hermann, it's better than sterilizing yet another bruised and scraped hand." he counters with a shake of his head. "Gimme your hands for a sec." 

"Alright." Hermann watched as Raleigh wrapped around his wrist, across his palm and then inbetween the fingers before finishing with the thumb and a final round of the wrist. "Is there a reason behind such a method?" 

"It supports your wrist and stabilizes the bones of the hand so they don't break. Do that before you get into anymore fights, okay?" Raleigh pats the palm of Hermann's wrapped hand and smiles as he does the other hand. "You'll thank me for it later." 

"Raleigh? Dammit Rals, where's the messed up batch of-Oh. Didn't know we had anyone out here still." Yancy froze mid-step from behind the counter, taking in the way Raleigh was tucking in the last bit of the wrap. "Friend of yours, Rals?" 

"Yeah. The batch is sittin' on the kitchen counter in a basket. Labeled it an' everything if you bothered to look dummy." Raleigh snarked as Hermann pulled his hand away. He watched as Hermann gathered up his briefcase and cane, a section of it shifting strangely as Hermann stood up. "Hopefully your hands will feel better from now on." 

The bell rings as Hermann waves goodbye with his wrapped hand and Yancy slaps the CLOSED sign on the glass before anyone else can come in. 

"Spill it Rals. You're dyin' to tell _somebody_." Yancy pointed out as he bustled behind the counter to make them both a chamomile tea. He set one in front of Raleigh and flipped a chair so that he was facing Raleigh with an expectant look. 

"I like him," he sighed as he steeped his tea bag into the steaming water watching as it got progressively darker, "but he's already got someone. I don't want the label of home wrecker to be added to my list of shitty achievements, okay?" 

"Well shit. You can't carry that kind of crap alone, kiddo. So what is it you like?" Yancy asks as he squeezes out his tea bag and sets it on the mini plate he brought over along with the sugar cubes they keep just for them. 

"He smiles like he's seen an entire meadow of butterflies flutter around him. God it's... It's incredibly rare but when he does smile, it's totally worth it. He fights for the underdog and the people who can't speak up for themselves without getting labeled as something they're not. He works for a university that I know a good two-thirds of the world's teachers would kill to work at but he does it so easily because his work is his passion. He loves passing on his knowledge. Sometimes he can be a bit of an asshole too; picky about his tea, his food and his clothes." Raleigh steals a sugar cube and chews on it as he sighs with a happy smile. "It's stupid, I know, but he's never gonna like me back so it's useless ta say anythin' about it." 

"Aww, Rals. You cheesy romantic bastard. You really like this guy. Well fuck him. He has no idea what he's missin' out on." Yancy cups Raleigh's face in his hands and presses his forehead against Raleigh's own for a long moment. "Maybe someone'll make you forget about this guy, someone so special that he's just gonna be a faded memory." 

"Yeah. Thanks Yan. Sometimes I really don't know... If we hadn't made it out of that hellhole of a trench in Afghanistan, we wouldn't even be havin' this conversation. I thought you were dead for a long while." Raleigh whispers as he holds his brother tight. 

"Me too Rals. I was in so much pain but I thought about how Maman an' you would be so goddamn sad that I hung on. Jazzy probably woulda-No. No, we're not doin' the what-if-I-died shit today. I'm breathin' an' bits of me are missin' but I'm here now. Chin up Rals. We're golden now." The warm smile has Raleigh laughing even as his brother tickles him mercilessly. 

"Eeeeee! Yan, ahaha, no! That-hehehe-tickles! Tendo, _help_!" Tendo comes from the back and tickles Yancy, the entire thing devolving into laughter as they giggled on the floor. Life was pretty good.


	3. Sniffles Suck

**-October 17-**

Raleigh waited for as long as he could, worried when Hermann didn't come in for his usual tea and cake of the day. He paced around the café, wiping down every surface with a little more force than necessary but it was better than taking it out on his brother and his best friends. 

Mako was leaning on the counter and shaking her head but didn't get in his way and he could hear Tendo in the back, cleaning up the dishes they'd made earlier. A knock on the glass made Raleigh's head shoot straight up but it wasn't Hermann. Instead, it was a shorter male with tattoos all the way down his forearms that were incredibly detailed. 

He opened the door reluctantly and the man looked him over, "Are you Raleigh Becket?" 

"Yeah. Who's askin'?" 

"Hermann caught a bug and he's not feeling too hot right now but he sends his apologies and me to get his usual. He's in a blanket burrito and snuffling miserably. Can you come cheer him up?" the man shifted under his serious gaze but stood his ground. 

"And you are...?" 

"Oh. Right. Uh, Dr. Newton Geiszler but please, call me Newt. Only my Mother and Hermann call me Doctor." Newt explained and then it dawned on Raleigh. This was Hermann's boyfriend. 

"He's talked about you a lot. Come on in." Raleigh pulled back and let Newt inside. 

"God, no wonder he doesn't come home right away. He's surrounded by pretty people and food." comes the reply as Newt walks into _Gipsy Danger_. 

"I have to patch him up every other day too." Raleigh dryly offered as he cut the cake of the day for two slices and made Earl Grey with extra care. "Gimme a sec." 

"Sure dude." Newt sat down on the counter stool and dangled his feet as Raleigh ducked back into the kitchen and flicked through Maman's recipes for the chicken noodle soup she used to make when they got sick as little kids. 

"Yancy I need your help." he said in French loud enough for his brother to hear. "Need the chicken stock but I don't know where it went." 

"Maman's family recipe? Oh boy, you really are in deep." 

"He's sick, you jerk, and he's my friend." he quips sharply. Yancy throws up his hands in defeat and sets the chicken stock at Raleigh's elbow, digging around for the shredded chicken as well. "I'll be right back." He pokes his head out into the café again. "I'm making soup so it'll take a while. Leave me your address an' I'll get it to ya." 

"I'm texting him right now. He says he's gonna take a nap to see if he can't sleep it off," Newt replied absently, "so take all the time you need. Can I get a slice of that cake and a coffee? Nursing a grumpy Hermann makes me hungry." 

"Rals, it's simmering. Get your butt back in here an' I'll talk to the boyfriend of your nerd." Yancy says in French from the kitchen. 

"You serve him an' don't say anything stupid." Raleigh slips into the back and pokes his brother in the chest for emphasis. "I mean it, Yan." 

"Fine. Like I said, this guy has no idea how lucky he really is." Yancy sighs as he hugs Raleigh to him for a moment. "Love you Rals." 

"Yeah, yeah, love you too Yan." Raleigh watches the soup and adds ingredients slowly, stirring it until the smell is all over the kitchen along with the apfelkuchen that was baking for their get-together with the Wei triplets and their boss. "Done an' now for the container." He scooped it into a thermos, tucking it into a basket as well as the boxed cake and tea to-go. "We can go-Are you okay?" 

Newt was sitting with his eyes closed, fork in his mouth until he pulled it out slowly. "Wow. Hermann picked the right place to go to when he sent me here. This cake is impressive. Who made it?" 

"I did. I make all of the pastries, cakes and pies you see in the display and I make a wicked cup of Earl Grey upon request." Raleigh says in English as he chuckles slightly at the awe in Newt's face. "I co-own the place with my brother." He motions towards an annoyed looking Yancy, elbowing his brother into at least managing a small smile. 

"Oh. You two looked like you were related." Newt nodded as he finished off what looked like a double-shot macchiato. 

"Don't worry about Yan. He's a bit grumpy." Raleigh hummed as he held up the basket. "We can go now." Newt pulled on the leather jacket he'd come in with while Raleigh pulled on his _Tacit Ronin_ jacket and blue scarf as the wind whooshed leaves into the café. He giggled as he heard Yancy cursing in French at the mess they made right before the door closed with a tinkle of the bell. "Does Hermann get sick a lot?" 

"Nah. It's one of those 24 hour bugs that's really nasty. A student gave it to him because they wouldn't stay in their dorm room. Idiots." The derision was clear in Newt's voice as they walked along the sidewalk for at least twenty minutes. People were shuffling into the diner down the way and the other café that was sort of thier rivals; _Romeo Blue_ was open after _Gipsy Danger_ closed but didn't have as good food. Thier coffee was on point, Raleigh was loathe to admit, but the Gage twins never gave them shit because they were fellow vets. 

"Yeah. I always make sure the sick ones get Maman's tea as well as thier order." 

"You part French or something?" 

"Half but don't let that fool you. We cook old country style an' go back every year for a refresher course with Mémé." he replies as he checks on the basket, the contents still warm and good to eat. 

"Mémé?" 

"Sorry. Grandma. I'm so used to people understanding me that I drop out of English a lot. I'll probably start speakin' German to your boyfriend as soon as we get in. It's how I keep up my fluency." 

"... How many languages do you know?" 

"Lemme think. French, English, German, Italian, Norwegian, Japanese, Hindi an' Inuit. The rest are tidbits from languages, enough ta get around but not hold a steady conversation like the ones I mentioned." Raleigh rattled off as they stepped up to the apartment complex stoop. Newt used his key card to get into the door. 

They stepped into the elevator and Raleigh was surprised as two large blonds that tower over Newt offered him a nod, looking at Raleigh with curiosity. 

"Tiny science man, you are making Hermann well?" The taller male rumbled at Newt. 

"Yeah. I'm bringing him a friend." 

"There is soup, husband. I like this one." Raleigh looked at the woman who was snooping in his basket and pulled the basket away slowly. "Protective too." 

"Da. Good friend for Hermann." 

"Bye Kaidonovskys." 

"Tell Hermann to get well, tiny science man!" The taller of the Kaidonovskys states before the elevator doors close. 

"Can do!" Newt replies before sighing. "They're so Russian mafia it hurts but they _love_ Hermann. Weird, I know." 

"Not really. Hermann's kind of a good guy." Raleigh murmurs as he steps into the dim apartment. The area's wide as well as open, split down the middle with a riot of plants on one side and chalkboards on the other. Hermann's a lump on the couch watching Pacific Rim re-runs with a notebook in his hands. The pile of tissues is both gross and cute as Hermann keeps prodding them back into a mountain with the end of his pencil. 

"Hermann, I brought your barista." 

"Mien _Gott_ , Newton, I said cake and tea not-Oh. Raleigh." The hoarse voice was something Raleigh winced at because it probably hurt Hermann to speak properly. 

"I brought my family chicken noodle soup and everything else." Raleigh admits as he lifts the basket. "See?" 

"Ah. That is kind of you." Hermann rasped before sneezing into a tissue offered by Newt. 

"Got a bit worried when you didn't show up at _Gipsy_. Call me crazy but I thought you might have a nosebleed or someone knocked you out." he said as he set the basket within Hermann's reach. "I've gotta go-"

"You just got here dude. Why the rush?" Newt inquired as he opened the basket so that Hermann could see inside it. 

"I've got a dinner that needs my apfelkuchen delivered to it and one I have to attend because of my best friend's father. Retirement party." He answered with a soft smile at the lump of Hermann as Newt fed him the soup. They really were good together. 

Raleigh's mind offered a solution which happened to be completely crazy, especially after seeing that Newt clearly adored Hermann. He shook the thought away, closing the door behind him with a soft click. What he didn't expect was to come face to face with the Kaidonovskys from earlier now dressed for comfort. 

"You are Mako's baker, da?" 

"Yes?" His voice rose an octave at the end to convey his confusion. 

"I am Sasha and that is my husband Aleksis. She speaks highly of you and her partner." The woman said with an arm slung around his shoulder. 

"Cheung. I remember; they order a latte for her everytime they come in." he relaxes as the pair know Mako. Sasha keeps a good hold on him as they walk back to _Gipsy Danger_ 's upper level. 

Tendo opens the door with a wide grin, "Kaidonovskys! Didn't think you were gonna make it to the bar on time. I see you kidnapped Raleigh from his favorite Gottlieb." 

"He's the **_only_** Gottlieb I know, you nerd." Raleigh grumbled as Sasha let him go. 

"Whatever bro. He's probably still gonna be your favorite." Tendo fired back over his shoulder as he lead the way. "Yan's got your masterpiece. We're the last ones to arrive." 

They hang up their coats and Raleigh scoots into a corner with his glass of aged Canadian whiskey, sipping it as slowly as possible. He sees Stacker about halfway through the party. They exchange nods, Stacker coming over to sit next to Raleigh. 

"Nice party, sir." 

"My Mako tells me you're friends with Dr. Gottlieb." Stacker's accent always has Raleigh smiling into his drink. It's just not something you'd expect from a man of Stacker's size. 

"Yessir. I brought him soup. It's a 24 hour bug." 

"Excellent. Newt is with him, I suppose?" Stacker was oddly interested in Hermann. Everyone seemed to think Raleigh was a source of news today. 

"... Yessir. He made a mountain out of tissues an' was watching re-runs of Pacific Rim." he mentioned as he swirled his whiskey in a circle. 

"Then he'll be fine. Thank you Raleigh." Stacker clinked his glass with what looked like vodka in his cup and took a sip. He did the same, setting it down after an appropriate span of time had passed. 

"You're welcome, sir." 

"Take care." Stacker pressed a kiss to Mako's forehead as she sat in Stacker's warm spot. 

"Did he interrogate you?" Mako offered another glass of whiskey so he snagged it, finishing his first one and savoring the burn as it glided down. 

"Yeah. It's weird." he told her with a soft nudge of his shoulder against hers. 

"Gottlieb- _hakase_ is a good friend of the Kaidonovskys and he helped _Sensei_ out with several investigations using his prediction models. Tendo knows everyone, of course. They're worried about him, like you were before you saw him. Your shoulders have relaxed quite a bit from this afternoon." Mako informed Raleigh succinctly as she took a drink of his whiskey. She made a face and took a sip of her sake to wash the taste out of her mouth. 

"Huh. So now that I'm mother-henning him, I'm the guy ta talk to?" he huffed as he tilted his glass to watch the liquid slide across the inside. Mako giggled but nodded yes and Raleigh rolled his eyes. His phone buzzed shortly; Raleigh blinked as he saw a text from an unknown number. 

**Hermann's feeling better after your food. What the heck did you put in the tea?**

He debated typing a reply when another set of texts arrived from the same number. 

_Newton is exaggerating._

_The tea with honey has soothed my throat._

_The chamomile mixed into it has eased my headache._

_Thank you. -H_

Raleigh wordlessly showed Mako the texts and she giggled when his phone buzzed yet again. 

**Ignore Hermann. He has tissues stuffed up his nose like paper**

**airplanes. It's dumb.**

Raleigh gets the feeling that Hermann stole the phone back because the next text is an apology. 

_I'm sorry. He is bothersome to most people._

_I hope we can resume our evening chats? -H_

He smiles at the screen for a moment before texting back a reply. 

**_Sure. You're always welcome at GD. -R_ **


	4. French Dinners and Fall Leaves

* * *

**-October 20-**

The fall wind playfully tugged his scarf and caused the ends to flap like banners in the wind but Raleigh's grinning as he swept the vibrant leaves away from the café's entrance. He looked up and dropped his broom when he saw Hermann walking towards the shop. Raleigh snatched it out of the air before it hit the ground, continuing to casually sweep. 

He hoped to any deity listening that Hermann didn't see it. 

"Nice to see you back up and about." 

"Indeed. This weather looks like it's about to drop a heavy thunderstorm." The clouds are dull and a deep grey that meant at least an inch of rain so he hummed in agreement as he flicked the last of the leaves to the side. 

"Comin' in for your usual?" he inquired as he looked at Hermann, holding the door for him. They hang up their jackets but Raleigh left his scarf on as it's a bit nibbly in the shop so late in the day. 

"I think I'll have coffee today and perhaps a muffin." Raleigh saw the thin line of blood trickling down Hermann's chin and the wrapped hands after seeing him in. 

"Anything else bruised or cut?" Raleigh shook his head as he grabbed the med kit that rests behind the counter just for this particular purpose. 

"I think one of them tried to stab me with a butterfly knife but it couldn't get past the third layer I wear." came the matter-of-fact response. 

"Hermann, you're gonna worry me to death." he sighed as he dabbed peroxide onto the scrape on Hermann's forehead. "Lose any teeth or did ya just bite down on your tongue?" 

"My cheek." They've gone through this routine so many times that Hermann answered automatically. "...I may or may not need a cloth for my swordstick." 

"Your _what_?" Raleigh's head snapped up from where he's wiping blood off of Hermann's face with a look of utter confusion. 

"My swordstick. Here." Hermann twisted the handle of his cane just so and the click revealed an inch of bloodied steel with a bloodwell beveled into it. 

"Oh. I thought that kind of thing only existed in movies and steampunk novellas." Raleigh muttered as he passed a clean cloth over to Hermann. 

"It is over a century old but it has been well-maintained and passed from father to daughter for years. This was my Mutti's final gift to me before I moved away to teach." Hermann admitted as he wiped the blade clean. "She comes from the former Prussian Kaiser line." 

Raleigh waited and Hermann looked down at his unwrapped hands, "I think that's great. We're just French peasants that managed to get a bastard from one of the King Louis that were around. Mémé has it somewhere in the attic..." 

Hermann started laughing and Raleigh joined him as both of them started breaking into giggles everytime they looked at one another. That's how Newt found them, snickering as Raleigh finished patching up the shallow scrape on Hermann's ribs. 

"That was ridiculous. I should probably make your coffee." 

"I haven't laughed this hard since Newton accidentally wrapped himself in cellophane." Hermann confessed after the latest set of giggles died down. 

"That's crazy. I don't think-Wait. Haha, Yan used to wrap Jazzy in ribbon and give her to Maman as a present." Raleigh offered as he ground the coffee and set it into the expresso machine. "Spiced cider, pumpkin spice, Cinnabunny or créme brûlée?" 

"The créme brûlée." He made a noise in agreement as he steamed the cream for the coffee. "Hello Newt." 

"Hey babe." The pause meant that Newt saw the bandage and the bloodied cloth along with the latex gloves Raleigh'd peeled off. "Again?" 

"They were harassing a busker. I merely broke it up." 

"With your swordstick?" The sarcastic remark has Raleigh turning around to disguise his smile. 

"Yes, Newton, with my swordstick. I do enjoy the looks of surprise I receive when they think me fragile." Hermann conceded as he tucked a fresh gauze patch into the hollow portion of the cane, sliding the triple-sided blade into the cavity to pull the blood in the bottom out. "Raleigh, do you have gun oil?" 

"Uh, yeah, it's hangin' around here somewhere. Yan, where's the gun oil?" he called back into the kitchen, slipping into French purely by habit. 

"Top left shelf under the counter and upstairs in the apartment. Why?" came the intrigued reply in the same language. 

"Hermann needs to clean his rapier." 

"... His what?" Yancy's voice turned flat at the question. 

"You'll see what I mean." Yancy poked his head out of the curtain separating the kitchen from the café, his hazel eyes taking in the scene before him. 

"It looks like we have a historical reenactment group on our hands, Rals. You pick the weirdest people to associate with, you know that?" Yancy grumbled as he ruffled Raleigh's hair. "Mako, the trips an' now this guy and his boyfriend." 

"Says the brother who introduced me to Tendo via bar." Raleigh deadpanned, reaching over to press his forehead against his brother's in a familiar way. The coffee machine meeped so Raleigh pulled away to finish their coffee and to snag the slices of sponge cake. Yancy handed over the gun oil with a wry grin as Raleigh doubled back for it, tying the cloth around it to make it easier. 

"You keep gun oil in a café? What _exactly_ did you do before this?" Newt asked as he paid for Hermann's coffee and ordered one of his own from an amused Yancy. 

"Military para-rescue. My brother was the helicopter gunner an' I was the guy who fixed you when you got blown up." he answered in English with a shrug, not too willing to discuss more than that. "Retired a while back, got into baking again after a few years with Maman in France. Moved here an' the rest is all Tendo's fault." 

"Wait, wait-You two know Tendo?" Newt gestured wildly, Raleigh ducking under the waving hand out of pure instinct. "Sorry." 

"You're fine. He knows everyone from his days as a bartender. Actually that's how they met in the first place; Yancy was lookin' for a job an' a place for us. Tendo recommended this before it was _Gipsy Danger_. Some frufru tea shop that catered to upper-class snobs. Th' owner of the place was done with servin' people and gave it to us pretty cheap. We tore down a lot of the walls an' well, here we are." Raleigh explained as he kicked his feet up on the unused chair. 

"Oh yeah. I remember getting kicked out of here when it was the snob area. I was trying to get a reservation for me and Herms-" 

"I told you a thousand times, Newton, it's Hermann." He words were laced with fondness as he looked at Newt with a soft gaze. 

"Hermann and I wanted a date here but the standards were like getting into a bank vault." 

"Lemme guess; your tats?" He snorted as he leaned back. 

"Yeah. They saw part of my sleeve as I was leaving." Newt huffed as he took his first sip of coffee. 

"Bigoted jerks. If ya want us ta spiffy up the place for a date, we can." Raleigh offered quietly as he took a long swallow of his Cinnabunny Cappucino. 

"You'd do that for us? Dude." 

"Hey, that's what friends are for." He encompassed the café with an inclusive hand gesture. "I can whip up one hell of a meal. You lookin' for anything in particular?" 

"This place used to be a French diner with all the best food but like you said, jerks with standards too snooty for the rest of us." came the snarky quip. 

"No wonder the pasta maker was in the back when we got here. We coulda gone to one of those fancy places an' cooked but I like talkin' ta people." Raleigh murmured as Yancy joined them, the latter spinning his chair to straddle it backwards. 

"And I can't stand stuck-up morons on a good day. We built this place up but like Rals said... You need good French food, you ask us first okay?" Yancy stated with a serious look. 

"I'll take you up on that offer sometime." Newt nodded his head decisively.


	5. Halloween, Confrontations and Drivesuits

**-October 31-**

The day of Halloween dawns brilliant and cold enough to see white plumes of breath. Raleigh whistles 'Scarborough Fair' as he opens up the shop, happy as a jay bird. He knocks out all of the traditional baking and then does a special marbled cake for the day. The orange and chocolate swirls are artfully done with one of Yancy's long toothpicks that Raleigh snags from under the counter. 

A knock on the glass has him looking up from the oven time to see Newt raising his knuckles for a third rap. He finishes the timing, opening the door to let Newt in. Newt's shivering since he's wearing a leather jacket and skinny jeans; he has no idea how that's anywhere near warm for the man. 

"What c'n I do for ya?" Raleigh inquires lightly as he sets up the face painting station off to the left. "Gonna be real busy t'day." 

"Thought I'd stick around for a bit. Can I help with anything?" Newt suggests with a shrug. 

"Uhhh, you c'n set out the pumpkins. Only if you wanna get bossed around by Tendo though. Halloween is his favorite holiday, y'know," Raleigh snorts with a shake of his head. "gets all loopy." 

"I do not. Raleigh, dude, why're you betraying me like that?" Tendo complains as he hugs Raleigh to his chest, making Raleigh groan at the angle. 

"Tendo, you're killin' me man. People who are 6'1" can't do this crap." he sighs. Tendo pats his cheek and lets go of Raleigh as he skips off to the pile of pumpkins in the corner of the shop. "Maybe you're better off settin' up the paint station." 

"Yeah." Newt rolls up his shirt sleeves after taking off his jacket and laying across the back of the chair. The paints are set out in proper order, down to the tertiary colors so Yancy's pleased when he comes in with leaf garlands and a leafy wreath. 

"Nice set-up. You wanna paint with me? We got stencils and stuff." Yancy high-fives Newt and settles in with his percolator coffee that no one else aside from Raleigh drinks. 

"Sure." The relaxed grin is a surprise. Raleigh figured that Newt would've been more comfortable with Tendo. 

The rush is augmented with an appearance of Hermann herding the regular's kids with an ease that suggests he has a younger sibling. _Gipsy Danger_ 's running smoothly until the last customer leaves and the door opens on the last face they ever expected to see as their dead-beat Dad steps into the café. 

Raleigh froze up and Yancy growled lowly in the back of his throat, pinning the man with a gaze that could scorch diamonds. 

" _ **Get out**_." Yancy's quicker than Raleigh and bristles menacingly. "You're not wanted here." 

"I just need to know-" Raleigh knows what he wants. He's not getting Jazzy's location out of either of them. She had just gotten over his abandonment of them. 

"You need ta know _squat_ , Richard." he barks harshly, slapping the CLOSED sign up with a stony expression. "What you want ain't here an' you damn well know it." 

"I can see that." The man opens the door and walks out again. Raleigh watches him go as Yancy joins him in staring as the man they once called Papa steps into a taxi and disappears for a second time. 

"Okay, I think that's me and Herms's cue to go." Newt states with a healthy amount of self-preservation instincts he doesn't otherwise have (according to Hermann). 

"You c'n stay." The English is short lived as he slips into his native tongue. "Just... Fuck him. He's a shitty person an' he _knew_ steppin' into here that he wasn't gonna get a good reception." Raleigh fumes as Yancy pulls him in for a hug. He exhales slowly, returning the embrace as he cuddles with his brother. "He's an asshole." 

"What Rals is tryin' ta say is that man was family and now he's not. It's a long story, not to mention it fuckin' hurts. Halloween's a happy day. Not gonna talk about that bastard." Yancy states quietly in English, his tone conveying that any prodding would not be welcome at the moment. 

"Alrighty then. _Romeo_ 's crew is coming here for the Halloween hand-out night because their café's a little too close to gang territory." Tendo jump starts the mood by flipping the sign back to OPEN as he unzips his costume bag. "Okay, if you don't have a costume, I've got several in this bag. If you do, get your butt changed and come back here before six. The kids appreciated our display last year and they will again this year. Move it people before I kick your rears into gear!" 

Raleigh nudges Yancy softly with his shoulder as Tendo brings the spirit back up in the café. 

"Thanks Yan." 

"No problem Rals. That's what real Beckets do; they stick around even when it's rough." Yancy hums as he ruffles Raleigh's already fluffy hair. 

"Aww c'mon! I just got it to the right texture for the pilot costume you jerk!"

"Takes one to know one, punk."

* * *

The kids love the costumes and Pacific Rim is still going strong after four seasons and a movie series. 

"Oh wow! Look Mom!" Raleigh smiles as he offers the bowl with his Drivesuit (hand-made) clacking in just the right way. "His Drivesuit's amazing!" 

"Calm down Timmy. I'm sorry, he's a really big fan." The kid's Mom apologizes as Timmy (in a _Gipsy Danger_ costume) skips over to him. 

"It's okay. Me 'n my brother are too. We run the café." He sees her glance up and she shakes her head with a smile. "Here ya go." He hands over his individually wrapped cupcakes with the ingredients on a card. "One _Gipsy Danger_ cupcake for the _Gipsy Danger_. Anything else you like?" 

"Oh! Otachi pops!" All the kids love them and Raleigh's so glad he got them now. 

"Sure thing." He hands one of those over as well and laughs when he sees Yancy (with the matching white Drivesuit) and Newt (Otachi) surrounded by admiring parents. 

"Smile!" Raleigh smiles on command and laughs when he sees Mako in a cute Tresspasser costume. "You look good." 

"Yeah?" He stands up and does a spin for her. She laughs as the Weis show up as the _Crimson Typhoon_ triplets on the show. "Damn. They do that really well." 

"They watched the show when they were in Shanghai so it really struck a chord with them. Cheung's the biggest fan of the group but the other two are big fans of the Nova Hyperion team." Mako offers as she waves at her boyfriend. 

"Haha. Man, PR's got a big fan-base. Where's Stacker?" he asks as he sets the bowl down to stretch out for a bit as Tendo takes over. 

"Right here. How do I look? I feel a bit out of place." The sheepish admission comes from the retired police Captain as he shows off the recent Drivesuit. The Moms of the kids are practically locked onto Stacker as he moves. 

"You're good. The Moms and, uh, a few Dads are looking at ya." Raleigh assures him. 

"Oh." Stacker shuffles a bit and brightens when he sees a man and a guy who looks like his son in _Striker Eureka_ Drivesuits. "Herc! Didn't think you'd make it!" 

"There ya are! Not a bad look onya mate." 

"Apparently." The men crack up laughing and Raleigh clunks back down to hand out more candy. He spots Hermann in a _Vulcan Specter_ Drivesuit talking with the Kaidonovskys (in _Cherno Alpha_ gear that weirdly suits them to a T) off to the side. 

The blush that's mostly hidden by the street lamps isn't seen by Hermann but Raleigh places his forehead on his cool Drivesuit to cool off. Hermann looks great in the Drivesuit, the armor accentuating just the right-Oh. Newt kisses Hermann and it's like Raleigh's entire body jerks at the reaction he has. He looks up at the clear night sky and thanks every deity possible that the Drivesuit has room because he would be embarassing himself otherwise. 

"Havin' a problem, Rals?" the teasing drawl in French from his brother has him snapping his gaze away from the pair. 

"Oh go **away**." he groans in the same language as he plants his face into his gloved hands. "You're makin' it worse." 

"Damn. They're really going-Ouch! If I wanted to tap that, I'd definitely be turned on." Raleigh kicks his brother to no effect as Yancy continues to narrate. "Damn that's good. Hermann's doin' a kick-ass impression of that 40s kiss you love." Raleigh looks up to see Newt being dipped by Hermann into a soft sweet kiss that he feels he shouldn't be watching. 

"Fuck you Yan." 

"Only pointing it out." Yancy sing-songs. 

"The Gage twins have on Drivesuits." He hisses in revenge, watching as Yancy flushes bright pink when confronted with the sight. 

" ** _Fuck_** Rals, that's cheating an' you know it..." Yancy whines quietly while ducking his head when the Gages look over. 

"'S your own fault. You started it." Raleigh fires back as he hands out candy with a sweet smile at the kids. 

"You've gotten good at that." comes the complaint in French because no way in hell are they speaking English with their crushes so close to them. 

"I have you to sass. No wonder I c'n spin it around." Raleigh snickers but it fades into a sigh as he watches Hermann and Newt do a silly dance with each other. 

"... You have it bad for 'em, don't you Rals?" 

"Hell yeah."


	6. Delivery Service

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is getting more attention than I realized! Hi new readers~ *waves* 
> 
> More plot this time around cause I know the chapters are pretty short.

* * *

**-One Year Later; October 8-**

Raleigh was throwing away the kitchen trash in the dumpster when he heard a scuffle and a short, angry scream. He dropped the bags into the dumpster, running for the source of the noise. Skidding to a stop he saw Newt pinned up against the wall with a gun against his temple.

"Gimme all your money!" 

He growled lowly in the back of his throat and tackled the perp, making sure to knock the gun away from Newt first. 

"I don't think so pal." Raleigh flipped the assailant and pinned him with a knee to his back. "You okay?" 

"Yeah. That was scary." Newt was crouched down, sweat pouring off of his face. 

"I heard a scream. He would've checked." 

"He would-"

"There you are. I heard someone in... Oh Newton." Hermann rounded the corner and soon after a patrol car showed up. Raleigh got off the perp in order to let the officer cuff the guy. "Thank you Raleigh." 

"Just did what you woulda done," he answered with a soft smile aimed at his friends. Somewhere over the year, they'd gone from patch-up buddies to actual friends. At least he hadn't blurted out that he was _in love_ with them both yet. "You're a pretty good example, y'know." 

"Gottlieb again?" The woman sighed in what sounded like obvious frustration. 

"Officer Jessop, that is not my handiwork." Hermann stiffly replied as Raleigh pointed to himself with what Yancy termed his sweetheart smile. 

"Sir, I'll need your statement at the station." 

"That's okay. Hey, Hermann, c'n you watch GD for me?" Raleigh handed Hermann the keys to the kitchen. 

"It would be an honor." Hermann gave a salute as Raleigh went with the officer.

* * *

The station personnel give him funny looks after he gives his statement. A cup of what looks like the office sludge is offered. 

Raleigh's lips quirked up into a half-smile at the familiar blue nail polish, "Heya Maks. Ending your shift?" 

"About to start it. What are you doing here?" she questioned with a poke to his shoulder. 

"Had ta give my statement. Some dirtbag tried to mug Newt in the alleyway behind _Gipsy Danger_." he explained even as he drank the tar disguising itself as coffee. "Ugh. How do you drink that?" 

"If _Gipsy Danger_ did delivery, I'm sure everyone here would never make another pot of tar again," she mentioned dryly as she sat next to him. 

"Right. Like _Romeo_ doesn't offer it already." Raleigh quipped with another drink of the absolute swill warming his palms. The PD personnel cringe as he swallows the coffee with a perfectly straight face. 

"They don't make the Cinnabunny or the expresso and you know it." Mako countered as the perp who attacked Newt is lead away to a cell. 

"If you can find us a delivery person willing to wake up at the same time as us, then sure, we'll deliver coffee." he snorted as Yancy marched into the precinct bristling with anger. "Yan, chill. Maks an' I were talkin' about a delivery schedule." 

"I'm gonna murder that perp." Yancy announced sullenly in French. 

"Any reason in particular?" Raleigh responded in the same language.

"He landed you here when we open in _**ten minutes**_ an' half the stuff's under Tendo's watch, dammit." came the grumpy reply. 

"Oh shit. I gotta go Maks. Breakfast rush an' then a nap, I think." Raleigh drained the rest of the tar disguised as coffee in one go. "Bye!" 

They arrive in time to help Tendo with the initial rush of regulars. Alison's ferrying the trays to the sit-in customers with a sweet smile and Felix strapped to her back papoose style. 

"Doesn't Ali work today?" he managed to ask Tendo between making specific coffees. 

"Library doesn't open until ten so she's normally sorting turned in books but she finished all of them last night. My gal is a professional multitasker, bro." Alison pivoted on the ball of her foot to slide another tray over to an astonished customer. "See?" 

"She's damn good. Hey, know anyone who drives well and needs a job? We need a delivery person." Raleigh requested as he filled three different orders with the expresso machine going full throttle, all six pumps working today. 

"Hmmm. The Hansens are looking to break into the café business." 

"Depends on their coffee ethics-" 

"They're Aussies." Raleigh does a double-take after that information. 

"Dude, ya don't spring stuff like that on a guy." he whined at Tendo as the morning rush died down. "Australians are coffee gurus. Perfect baristas," Raleigh muttered as he scraped back his hair and blew out a breath. "Bring 'em on in." 

"Sweet. I'll let them know." Tendo whipped out his phone and started rapidly texting at a rate that frankly astonished Raleigh sometimes. 

"Like now? Tendo, I gotta sleep at some point." he complained while scrubbing his face after the minor break Alison and Yancy forced on him. Tendo ruffled his already fluffy hair and patted Raleigh's cheek. 

"Chuck's not to be taken on without some form of sleep, brother. Go take your nap." Tendo herded him upstairs and settled him on the couch, draping a blanket over his body out of pure habit.

* * *

The nap left him refreshed and ruffled as hell but happy as a cup of coffee was placed into his hands. 

"Heard ya wanted a delivery pair, mate?" Oh. The Australian from last year's Halloween party. 

"You're Stacker's friend, the one in the Striker Eureka Drivesuit." he blurted out after his first swallow of coffee. "Sorry..." Raleigh sheepishly tugged on his sweater sleeve as his face flushed from embarrassment. 

The man took pity on him and said, "Name's Herc Hansen an' this is my son Chuck." 

"Hey! I remember you. We were on that three-team drop together." Raleigh grinned over his mug with genuine happiness. 

"This is _**that**_ Becket?! The one who was screamin' every curse word he knew as he fired the 50 cal. until he blew up the building? Seriously?" The irritation was greater than the awe. 

Raleigh grimaced at the description but he actually doesn't remember much of it other than holding pressure on Yancy's wound on the way back. "I guess. I don' really... know what I was doin' after they shot Yan." He admitted frankly with a shrug. "Anyway, about that delivery thing. We've been lookin' ta expand an' we need-Don't touch that." The French is sharp and automatic as Chuck reaches for Maman's quilt. 

"I'm gonna guess that wasn't very nice, mate." 

Raleigh took a long drink of his coffee and rose an eyebrow. "Nah. But you think about touchin' it again an' I might have ta punch you." 

"Oh yeah?" The challenging smirk makes Raleigh press his lips together. 

"Leave off Chuck. This one knows how to tear ya apart an' put ya back togetha fasta than ya c'n blink, brat." Herc swatted his son on the back of the head with the sort of parental stare that Raleigh's Maman used to aim at them. 

"Herc! Nice to see you in here-Are you the Aussies Tendo was talkin' about? Awesome." Yancy clapped Herc on the shoulder and shook hands with Chuck, the latter wincing as he spotted the shrapnel in Yancy's hand. Raleigh wrapped an arm around Yancy's shoulders as they touch foreheads. "We do need to expand a bit. 'Sides, I think I c'n deliver if you two join th' team." 

"So we'll be jumpin' straight into makin' coffee?" Chuck asked directly. 

"Yeah. Gotta test-shift but if you're willing enough, sure." Raleigh assured with a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment please!


	7. Wishes and Gunshot Wounds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! You guys are awesome. *waves at anons, regulars and newcomers* 
> 
> I started this thing with some pretty bad thoughts about how PacRim really didn't need another Café AU but you ladies, gentlemen or various others proved me wrong. :) 
> 
> Thank you for reading and I hope my future writing gives you a warm fuzzy. 
> 
> Enjoy!~
> 
> * * *

**-October 12-**

Chuck proved to be a popular barista. Herc was right behind him and Raleigh had more free time on his hands than he knew what to do with frankly. When Hermann limped into the café with a cut on his face at the end of the day, Raleigh barely thought about grabbing the first aid kit specifically for Hermann's injuries. 

"What happened?" he asked as he searched Hermann for wounds other than the visible ones. Raleigh cupped Hermann's face with worry as he tilted the older man's head from side-to-side. The shallow scrape that's still dripped blood on the side of his head made things look worse than they actually were at the moment. 

"Mate, ya shoulda gone to a _hospital_!" Chuck yelped as he spotted Hermann leaning in the seat. 

"I got it." Raleigh murmured as he gently pressed Hermann's ribs and then mechanically down his body until he'd assessed all the damage. "Dammit Hermann, what did I say about your hands?" The fondness is laced in the question and that's when Chuck figured it out. "You're gonna come here one day with a gun-shot ya keep doin' that." 

"Actually the wound there-" Raleigh sucked in a horrified breath at the implications of the trickling blood. "I turned my head at the last moment." He gripped Hermann's bony shoulders hard enough to jar the smaller man a little. What he wanted to do was shake Hermann until he's dizzy or kiss him hard enough to bruise but Raleigh does neither action. 

"Hermann, don't do that again." He's dead serious about it and his expression conveyed the sheer terror of finding Hermann injured beyond his skill to fix, like Yancy had been once. "I can't fix you if you're bleedin' out. You're not invincible; I _**worry**_ about you." Raleigh hugged Hermann tightly, breathing in the odd mixture of chalk and blooming flowers that characterized Hermann's scent. 

"I will not engage if there is a gun aimed in my direction. I promise." 

"You idiot." he rasped out after a long moment. "I'll kick your ass from here to Timbuktu if you get shot again." 

Raleigh carefully cleans the scrapes and lacerations on Hermann's face and hands. He used butterfly bandages along with medical strips and wrapped Hermann's hands up very gently. 

"... I am sorry for making you worry. Thank you for patching me up." The sincere russet gaze locked with steel blue and Raleigh gave Hermann a soft smile. 

"Anytime Hermann. Your usual?" He hopped up onto the counter and swung behind it, shooing Chuck away from the expresso machine with a hand-motion. "Chuck, you c'n head on home." 

"Nah, mate. I'll clean out th' back." 

"Sure." He does this particular routine on auto-pilot, humming anime openings out of pure habit. "So what's up at the University?" 

"Newt is conducting a rather odd experiment with my students, making them correlate plant growth with fractals." Hermann replied in German as was their tradition. 

They spoke of anything and everything under the sun with these long conversations, often dropping into personal details they'd never breathe a word about in English. 

"Did you see the meteor shower last night? It was so damn close to _Gipsy_ 's roof that Yan an' I took our itty-bitty telescope and watched them fall. Made a wish too."

"Do tell." The brilliant grin that's so damn rare is flashed openly here _in Gipsy Danger_ and Raleigh huffed softly as he calmed his fluttering heart. 

"Can't." 

"Oh?" Hermann quirked an eyebrow at Raleigh's answer. 

"Cause then it won't come true." came the sheepish response. 

"I see." The wink is completely unexpected. Raleigh barely managed to keep from spraying his Cinnabunny in disbelief. "Well, if you won't tell me, can you hint at it?" 

"It's about someone I fell in love with." He admitted with a dreamy, dopey sigh as he poked at his sopapilla. 

"Whoever they are, they are a very lucky person." Hermann replied with a sincere if strangely sad tone. 

"You think so?" Raleigh turned to stare out at the swirling leaves with his cheek propped up on his hand, missing the smitten look on Hermann's face by a fraction of a second. 

"I know so."

* * *

After Hermann paid and left, Chuck cornered Raleigh with a fierce frown. 

"Mate, how the hell could ya _miss_ that look on his face?" 

"What look and on who's face? We get a lot of people comin' in an' out during the holiday rush." Raleigh shrugged as he replied while prepping for the next day's baking. 

"Oh my God. You really have no idea. The injured bloke who was just in here chattin' wit' ya. Don't tell me ya missed it?" Chuck fired back as he kneaded cinnamon-spiced bread dough. 

"Seeing as Hermann and I have had that arrangement since we met last year in October, I have no idea what the hell you're implying." came the frosty retort. 

"He fancies you, mate, an' he's got it bad from what I could see. Ask 'im out." The Aussie gave as good as he got. Raleigh dropped the icing he was working with a wet 'plop' that hit the counter. "You really had no idea." 

"That's, umm, not all of the situation. I'm not asking him out." he said, hoping to end the conversation. The realization that _Hermann_ liked him back was enough of a sucker-punch. 

"What the hell is with you Seppos? Always denyin' when ya got somethin' special. Give it a burl." The younger man pressed stubbornly. 

"He's already got a boyfriend." Raleigh miserably informed his newest employee. "It's not easy ta explain, okay?" 

"Hold on, hold on-You like _**both**_ of 'em?! What a fuckin' mess." Chuck threw his hands up into the air before going back to kneading the dough with careful hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you guys wanna see a specific para-canon pair of pilots, comment okay?


	8. Sneaky Matchmaking Russians

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You get a new chapter thanks to Cimila commenting about the Kaidanovskis! Hooray. 
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> * * *

**-October 21-**

The delivery schedule is hectic but Raleigh enjoys new customers. He pulls up to the apartment building, recognizing it as where Hermann and Newt live. Maybe they'd made a recommendation of the coffee? He buzzes the apartment number he'd been given along with the order. 

"Ah! Coffee friend of Hermann, come up. The door is unlocked." The tone is unmistakably one of Mako's friends from the fire department. Raleigh carefully carries the huge order to the apartment across the way from Hermann's and knocks on the door with his boot-tip. 

"Good, good. Half of that is for the tiny science man and Hermann." Raleigh accepts the payment from who he thinks is Sasha, her blood red lips pulling back into a sweet smile. He finds himself smiling back as he repeats his knock on Hermann's door. 

" _What_ , we're extremely-Oh. Hi. Sasha put you up to this?" Newt's hair is practically growling it's so wild and the dark circles don't help the image much. "I'm so close to breaking this plant's medical benefits..." 

"She said half of this order is for you. I think she meant you needed a break." Raleigh holds out the tea and macchiato as a peace offering. 

The pieces of cinnamon swirl cake are also part of the order; Raleigh has the feeling that Sasha would force-feed the pair if he didn't at least try to get them to eat. 

"Oh. Okay, sorry the place is more of a mess than usual-" 

"Please. Our apartment's pretty bad because all we do is sleep... I spoke too soon. How are you two still awake?" Raleigh mutters before he spots the papers scattered everywhere on Newt's side. Parts of the papers are getting mulched under the vines of the ivy that's overflowing it's pot. 

"Uhh, don't know." 

"Right. Okay, shut off the computer and sit down for a sec." Newt flops onto the miraculously paper-free couch while Hermann's still writing what looks like gibberish to Raleigh. He gently takes the chalk out of Hermann's long fingers and steers the mathematician to the couch as well. 

Raleigh scoops up the papers that aren't currently being eaten by the ivy and stacks them on the empty desk next to the microscope. He cuts away the yellow pieces of the plants and waters them, shaking his head as the soil sucks it up. When he turns back around Newt is drowsily rubbing his face into Hermann's boney shoulder as Hermann pillows his face against Newt's hair. 

"Hey. No falling asleep just yet, okay?" he murmurs with a soft look. Raleigh pulls out the food and that seems to revive them a little. They rouse and eat the cake with soft noises of contentment, finishing off with the warm tea and coffee. He herds them off to bed, tugging off socks, shoes and most of their layers before he tucks them in.

* * *

He checks their fridge and finds it almost completely bare. Raleigh quietly takes the spare key, locks up behind himself and knocks on the Kaidanovskis door. 

"They're sleeping, da?" Sasha says to him as she leans on the doorway. 

"Yeah. I'm gonna go deliver the rest of my stuff an' come back in time for dinner. Poor guys look wiped out." Raleigh hums in reply. 

"You are a good friend, Raleigh Becket." she responds with a clap to his good shoulder like she knew about his injuries. "Not many would do what you do." 

"Well, if I don't do it... I know they've got folks like you." he demures quietly. 

"I see." Sasha stares with a knowing look that cuts right through Raleigh's bullshit. "Shoo. You have more coffee to deliver, no?" 

"Right! Crap." Raleigh runs off to the elevator, checking his phone to see Tendo with the next order and bitching him out via text. "Voice-to-text mode; I got caught up with Hermann and Newt. Will be on time for next delivery. Deactivate voice-to-text mode." 

On the way down, his phone buzzes with another text. 

**Hansen the Younger got this one. We're short a barista though, so get your butt back here. -T**

_Can do. -R_

He carefully backs out of the apartment complex gate on his motorcycle, gunning it after he leaves the two-mile marker. Raleigh parks his bike in the owner's slot and whips on a GD apron in time to take the Weis order. 

"Hey. Your usual or something new?" 

Hu smirks and Cheung swats the back of his head as Jin orders with an eye roll directed at his brothers, "One oolong tea and a caramelized red bean bun." 

"Our usual but we want the bean buns as well. They look really good and our day sucked." Cheung orders as well, planting a soft kiss on Mako's lips as she wiggles under his arm. "You want anything?" 

"Latte, a pork bun and a red bean bun. Those are new," Mako rattles off as she cuddles with her boyfriend. "When did you start making those? I didn't know you could make them." 

"Not my handiwork, actually. That's Tendo experimenting with food again. So far so good." Raleigh responds with a warm smile before he turns around to make their orders. "One oolong, one latte with _Coyote Tango_ art and two regular lattes with a double shot of expresso on the counter." Mako scoops up all the warm buns, giggling as the triplets follow her with the coffee and tea. 

"Mako's in a good mood." Yancy comments as he wipes down the counter. 

"Yeah. She saved a bunch of people today with her dispatching skills today. It's good to celebrate the little stuff." he comments as he nudges his brother softly. "So, how'd your date go?" 

Yancy pulls a face and groans, "She was barely out of her teens. Jailbait through and through. No way am I dating her; her Dad's a friggin' police officer. I like my remaining bits an' I'm not too _keen_ on having them blown off by a _**shotgun**_." 

"Ha. Maybe you should try guys again." Raleigh suggests quietly as he strains the foam out of the latte for the business man with a Bluetooth who's tapping his foot impatiently. 

"Maybe. Think the Gages would punch me in the face if I asked them out?" 

"You're braver than I am. Go for it. Least they can do is say no and avoid us forever." Raleigh sighs as he sets the latte down. "No foam soy milk latte." 

"About time! You're slower than _Romeo_ and that new place, C. afe." comes the snippy response. Raleigh waits for the happy coffee noise. Five, four, three, two-There it is. "No wonder people come here..." 

"We may not be as quick, sir, but we make quality coffee." he points out with a shrug as he readies the next order. 

"That's a _Gipsy Danger_ special," Yancy continues as Raleigh churns out other orders with Tendo and Herc's help. "We hope to see you again, sir." 

As soon as the guy leaves the regulars bust out laughing, Mako shaking her head at the man's snootiness. 

"Got more competition apparently." Yancy snorts dryly. 

"Oh please. C. afe has terrible coffee. Thier baristas are fallin' asleep at th' till cause they run twelve hour shifts. I went on a bit of a reconnaissance mission an' that coffee, mate? It leaves much to be desired. I had ta wash out m' mouth with a Cinnabunny, fer cripes sake." Chuck gripes sullenly as he shoos Herc into taking a break. 

"Don't you hate those?" Raleigh asks as Mako comes up for a refill on her latte. 

"Well, yeah, but they're coffee **_heaven_** compared ta th' swill I had over there. Also, one of their employees is checkin' us out." Chuck shows them the employee who keeps intently staring at their top-of-the-line Italian expresso machine. "Isn't there a timin' rule if they don' order somethin'?" 

"Yup. Fourty-five minutes if you haven't ordered anything by then but most folks have ordered something by this point so th' rule doesn't apply. We don't like makin' it policy or anything, it's just a rule that most of our patrons follow." Raleigh divulges with a shrug as he gets back to wiping off the counters with a fresh wipe. 

Tendo rolls his eyes as Chuck washes his hands and pulls out the new bean buns to set them out. "Too long if you ask me." 

"Well, he'll figure it out. Yan's not gonna tolerate him for much longer." Raleigh asserts with a nod as Yancy slips past them with catsfeet, his face set into a mulish expression. 

"Excuse me, sir, are you ordering anything?" Yancy's tone could freeze the interloper's sweat. 

"Your menu is-is quite large." comes the squeaky response. 

"Today's specials are the Cinnabunny and the _You're a Terrible Spy_ bean bun." his brother growls out, pinning the man with a sharp stare. "Which will you be having?" 

"N-Neither!" The guy scrambles out of the booth with a yelp as Yancy prowls back to the counter, his broad shoulders relaxing as he leans against the counter. 

"Next time it's your turn Rals. That takes a lot of effort for me." 

"Sorry you had to do that Yan." Raleigh hugs his brother and presses their foreheads together. Thankfully it was just the Wei triplets and Mako left in the bar. Chuck was looking at Yancy like he was an entirely different person. 

"What the _**hell**_ was that? You cracked the shits at 'im, mate." Chuck manages after a long moment of utter silence. 

"That's what Rals an' I used ta do for a livin', kiddo. Intimidate and scare th' absolute shit out of people. We don't like bringin' it up cause we like who we are now." Yancy admits with a half-smile barely pulling his lips up. "It's not a pretty past. Your Dad c'n attest to that fact." 

"Not a pretty sight. They were the top fellas in their field. Ye didn't want anyone else if ye could have them." Herc murmurs as his shoulders slumped from their tense stance. "If either of 'em start doin' that, don't run. Jus' walk slowly an' get the other brother. 'M not kiddin'." 

"Reckon so."

* * *

Raleigh's whistling as he rides through traffic to get to Hermann and Newt's apartment, hefting groceries in his arms as he uses the elevator. He lets himself into the quiet apartment with difficulty as he balances the bags and the door.

Barely sliding in without an accident, Raleigh puts away most of the groceries. With the remaining food he starts preparations for the recipe he has in mind. It's probably the scent of the caramelizing onions that wakes the pair up, both of them shuffling in with PJs and bed head. 

"Hey. Have a nice nap?" he asks with a bright smile. 

"So you feeding us cake wasn't a dream? Damn. We must've been out of it." 

"Sasha got worried an' sent me over here with your usual. I, uh, I watered the plants an' bundled you off to bed after I got you to eat. Not much protest on your part. Thought I'd make you guys dinner. Doesn't look like you had a proper meal since last week." He barely keeps from blushing at Hermann's sleepy look. 

Newt was far more awake than Hermann and set his arms on the counter of the kitchen to watch Raleigh cook dinner. Raleigh chops up the potatoes and adds them to the onions, frying them all together in a mix of German and French traditional cooking. 

"So what's for dinner?" 

"Fried potatoes and jäger schnitzel." Hermann perks up at the mention of what's most likely a comfort food. 

"You're making jäger schnitzel?" the physicist asks with wide eyes as he looks at the counter Raleigh's working on at the moment. 

"Yeah. Are you allergic to any of this?" That was a big worry of his, accidentally causing an allergic reaction. 

"... No, I am not allergic. However, jäger schnitzel was my favorite dish as a child. Your aptitude for picking out my favorites is extraordinary." Hermann concedes with a raspy voice. Raleigh's heart is complete mush and he barely pulls himself together in time to hear the rest of what Hermann was saying. "I would say you read minds if it were not pure fantasy." 

"Sorry. I'm only guessing, Hermann, even if it's accurate." Raleigh replies with a shrug as he turns back to the sizzling potatoes. "We had a rival try to check out our place. Yancy scared him off though." 

"Not _Romeo Blue_ , surely?" Hermann inquires after he swallows a gulp of the water Newt brought to him. 

"Nah. This new place called C. afe. Chuck snuck in under much better cover and he said that their coffee quality was so bad that he had to make himself a Cinnabunny to wash the taste out and he hates that drink with a burning passion." he laughs at the face Chuck made after the mention of the Cinnabunny. "He sounded so angry that anyone could serve coffee they wouldn't drink themselves." 

"Dude, that sounds terrible." Newt surmises with a frown. "Your coffee is so good." 

"Which reminds me... I brought you guys groceries for the next week or so. Your fridge was empty of everything but ketchup and bread&butter pickles. Not a good meal to wake up after that nap." He says as he cracks the eggs into a small bowl and scrambles them with a fork. 

Breading the tenderized pork is easy and the sizzle it makes when it hits the pan is loud in the calm apartment. It barely takes him twenty minutes to finish them up. Plating the food is second nature after yet another summer working in Mémé's resturaunt. He cleans as he goes, the first sink full of soapy water to soak out most of the oil. 

He sets the plates in front of Newt and Hermann with a nervousness he can't quite quell. Raleigh nibbles on his lip as he grabs his own plate. Hermann sighs and continues to eat with relish; Newt takes one bite and moans, much to Raleigh's embarrassment. 

"Oh man. Hermann, would you mind if I stole your friend and married him for his food?" Newt says after he finishes his bite of food. 

"Yes, Newton, I would mind very much. He keeps me in one piece and I'm sure _you'd_ like that." Hermann purrs and Raleigh almost chokes on his bite of fried potatoes. He swallows it painfully, downing most of his water after that to ease his throat. 

Raleigh swears these two are going to be the death of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave comments on what you loved, hated or think could use a little improvement~


	9. Entertaining (Love) Stories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank AO3 user kuro49 for this chapter! They made an awesome Luna/Tamsin fic and I adore the pair and so featured them here~

**-October 25-**

The Drivesuit's hot and uncomfortable in the children's ward of the hospital where Tamsin's getting her treatment. Yancy's right there with him, both of them cursing Mako's persuasive argument. 

"Are you the Becket brothers?" Raleigh nods and Yancy's shoulder perk up from their slump. "Hi, I'm Duc Jessop. I'm the Head Nurse for this ward and I'm so glad you two could come today. The voice actors for Pacific Rim couldn't make it in time but Mako assured me you two were perfectly in character. These costumes are amazing."

"You wouldn't happen to be married to a officer of the law, Mr. Jessop?" Raleigh asks with a wry grin that can barely be seen because of the yellow backing on the plastic. 

"Oh yeah. Kaori mentioned a para-rescue who took down a perp-That's you? Wow you're taller than she said you were," Duc smiles brilliantly as he leads them toward the entrance to the children's ward. "Kiddos, we couldn't get the pilots for _Tacit Ronin_ or _Coyote Tango_ but... We did find the ones for _Gipsy Danger_!" Duc ushers them in and the kids all stare at them with wide eyes. "These fine gentlemen agreed to answer your questions about piloting a Jaeger." 

Raleigh can't help but to take off the helmet and tuck it under his arm as he twirls one of the plastic chairs so that it's facing backwards before he sits in it. "So, who's first?" 

"Wow. What's it like in a Conn-pod?" the first question comes from a little girl who's obviously going through chemo. 

"Uh, hot. You work up a sweat piloting a Jaeger." he answers with a grin as he wipes away fake sweat. "It's a lot of work." 

"Didja think it was cool when you punched Yamarashi in the face?" 

"Heck yeah, kiddo. I mean, c'mon, what's more fun that being a Jaeger punching a giant alien in the face?" Yancy laughs as he also pulls off his helmet. 

"Ranger Becket, what's the best part of being in a Jaeger?" the other little girl in the ward asks, her grey eyes looking over the Drivsuits with longing. Raleigh always did find it funny that they shared the names with the _Gipsy Danger_ pilots. 

"Ya can fight a hurricane an' _win_. But... You asked about the best part. It's the Drift, y'know. It's not easy to explain. It's like your best birthday and your best friend and your most special memory all rolled into one." Raleigh looks at Yancy and his brother nods. "Yeah. That's the best part. Your Drift partner is someone who understands you without havin' ta say anything at all." 

"Do you really speak French?" They laugh together, smiling as they nod. 

"Oui," Yancy murmurs with a smile, causing the smaller kids to gasp and the older ones to lean forward. "But that's not all. We've got a couple of languages that we speak." 

"How do you keep them all organized?" 

"Well, we started learning at around your age an' kinda just kept going. It's tough, yeah, but it's worth it." Raleigh answers, turning when several nurses come in with what looks like lunch for the kids. "We'll leave you to your lunch an' we'll be back." 

"Bye Rangers!" The kids chorus and neither one of them can suppress the genuine smiles for the life of them. 

Yancy sighs as he looks back, his hazel gaze softer than it's been for ages. "Damn kids pull on your heart-strings, don't they Rals?"

"They really do. Hold on, I think Stacker still has his Drivesuit. If we can't get the voice actors we're the next best thing, right? I'll ask him to stop by for that batch of _Gipsy Danger_ cookies I baked yesterday." Raleigh texts Stacker, explaining the situation over the course of three texts and asks the retired man to pop in. 

"I don't know Rals. He's pretty okay with being at home-" 

_After lunch? -S_

**Yessir. -R**

_They got a bathroom for me to change into the suit? -S_

**Locker room, I think. You're coming by? -R**

_Mako asked me to do this once._

_I have all the time in the world now. -S_

**We'll see you there sir. -R**

"Ha. He's coming here." Raleigh smugly announces as he shows Yancy the texts. 

"You're impossible, Rals." Yancy laughs as he ruffles Raleigh's hair. Some of the nurses chuckle at their antics in the 'suits.

* * *

Stacker does one better and shows up with Hermann in the _Chrome Brutus_ Drivesuit and Newt in the Otachi costume. Mako's hoping to get off work to come in with her Tresspasser outfit but she's not sure if she'll make it in time. 

"Haha, Mako sure does know some people," Duc's clearly impressed with the turn-out. 

"Stacker's her adopted father and the other two are close friends of mine. We did this last Halloween. No reason to waste a perfectly good costume." he admits with a shrug that causes the 'suit to clack when he drops his shoulders. "Are we back on?" 

"Yeah." 

"Hey guys and gals. We brought some friends and managed to catch one of the _Coyote Tango_ pilots. You want them to say hello?" Raleigh whispers to the kids as he pokes his head around the corner. Yancy follows and the kids gasp as Newt crawls past the entrance with the wings half-spread. "What?" 

"Otachi!" the brown-eyed little girl blurts out. 

"Can't be, kiddo," Yancy says as he peeks over his shoulder, "We kicked Otachi's butt." 

"She was right there." A number of the kids nod frantically and gasp when Newt opens his wings fully behind them. 

"Eep! It _is_ Otachi!" Raleigh fakes a faint but Yancy catches him. "Woe is me." Hermann gently taps the top of Newt's costume and Newt pseudo-screeches. "Oh look, a rescue team." Stacker also taps the costume, dropping into a fight stance that Raleigh and Yancy mimic. 

"We'll take her down with teamwork," Stacker says as he winks at the kids, throwing a pretend haymaker. Newt stumbles back into Hermann's arms and Hermann pretends to knock him forward. Newt goes into death-throes, wiggling his wings and feet before flopping onto the floor in a heap. 

"Hooray!" The kids cheer and the little girl who hadn't pokes at Newt. The biologist cracks open an eye and sticks out his Otachi tongue from the mask. 

"I like Kaiju." she says with all the seriousness a six-year-old can manage. Newt sits up and waves with his wing, signaling he's okay. "Yay!" 

"Who's up for some cookies?" Raleigh asks as he hands off the ingredients sheet to Duc and the nurses on duty. "Are they alright? No one's allergic to anything?" This he does in a low voice as Stacker lays the foundations for what sounds like a great story. 

"Everyone's good. No allergies in these ingredients," Duc relays with a thumbs up. "Nice job. Those kids are gonna be passed out tonight." 

"I'm gonna go check up on Tamsin, if that's alright?" he asks as he watches how Stacker has all of the kids under his spell, changing his voice and bringing Hermann in to help him with voices. 

"Mrs.... Sevier-Pentecost? She has a visitor already but I suppose you could." Jessop shrugs as he motions towards the adult ward. 

"Thanks Duc," Raleigh snags a paper plate with a few _Gipsy Danger_ cookies on it and hums as he walks to Tamsin's room. Luna's already there, her head pressed against the fluff of auburn hair Mako's adopted Mom has grown again. They're intertwined on the bed and in the middle of watching the Food Network with some fall dish. 

"Raleigh! Hey, luv. Where's Mako and Cheung?" Tamsin greets him with enthusiasm during the commercial break. 

"Maks said she's dropping by for the kids but I c'n text her. Cheung's sick with a cold cause of a stake-out an' Jin's gettin' tea as well as soup from Chinatown." he replies as he sits in the lumpy visitor's chair with a clack. Luna looks up from pressing kisses to Tamsin's temple and cheek to smile. 

"I take it Stacks is here in his 'suit?" she asks with a laugh, her eyes bright with joy. 

"I have pictures," Raleigh admits with a sly grin. Both ladies giggle as he shuffles the chair closer to show them off. He sets the cookies off to the side on the stand, leaning in to explain. "Mock fight with Newt, Stacker telling 'war' stories, Yancy bein' a dummy, Hermann stealing kisses inside the mask... Yancy is such a punk. I'm gonna smear shaving cream on his sheets and roll him into a burrito to leave with the Gages. What an ass." 

"You're not angry with the pair?" 

"Umm, no, not really..." He scrubs at his already messy hair and blushes as Luna flicks back to the picture of Hermann kissing Newt. 

"Ah." Luna's sharp and Tam even sharper. Nothing gets past these ladies and Raleigh knows it. "You love them." 

".... Yeah." he sighs, his mouth pulling up into a soft smile at the pictures of Hermann and Newt together on the floor, Hermann animatedly waving his arms while Newt pulls faces behind his shoulder. 

"Tell them," Tamsin huffs as she presses soft kisses to Luna's chin and cheeks. "or you're going to pine away for the rest of your life." 

"I am no-Yeah, who am I kidding? They're literally perfect for one another and I'd only get in the way... Ouch! Tam!" He whines while he protects the back of his head. 

"Do it within the next week or I'm calling all three of you in here and doing it myself," Tamsin barks harshly after the swat she delivered to his head. "Life is short, luv, and precious." She cups his cheek and he leans into her touch as she pets his hair into some form of artlessly tousled instead of a mess. Tamsin sits up as he pulls back. 

"I'll try." Raleigh murmurs as he offers the cookies. Tamsin finishes one in two bites, offers another to Luna by holding it with her teeth. Luna just rolls her eyes and takes a bite of the cookie, the last bit swallowed between kisses. 

"Good." Tamsin nods as her and Luna turn back to each other with soft hums as they cuddle again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eventually these nerds are getting together, I swear, it's just that pining Raleigh is fun. 
> 
> Also, I have a side-fic featuring triplets and a surprise para-canon guest. Anybody interested? 
> 
> So, a vote from the readership is needed: 
> 
> Love confession next chapter or no?


	10. Confessions of a Baker

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **WARNING:** A lot more blood and grislier descriptions than in previous chapters of PvB! 
> 
> For adenineTransfixion who's supported this since Ch. 2 and has kept the canoe floating long enough to turn it into the ship it is now. :) 
> 
> Enjoy!~

* * *

**-October 29-**

Tamsin's right, of course; she always is but this... This proves her wrong without a doubt. Hermann stumbles into _Gipsy Danger_ with a hand pressed tightly to his side and every breath is wet with the sound of blood. Tendo and Yancy clear the regulars out with a terrifying speed as Raleigh coaxes Hermann to lay flat on a cushioned bench. 

"Hermann, look at me. I need you to tell me where it went," Raleigh's tone is firm and sharp, harsher than he wants it to be but he wants Hermann alive and grumpy, dammit, not **_dead_**. 

The mathematician coughs but it's drier and wheezing now, "Ri-Right lung. In... In and out." 

"Okay. Tendo, call 911. Tell 'em it's a trauma wound and that you have a paramedic on sight but I need back up. Punctured right lung from a gunshot woud. What _street_ , Hermann?" Raleigh barks out the order like he's back in the desert with helicopter blades overhead. 

"Three alleys down... The gentleman is... no longer living." Hermann motions to his sword cane, the shaft and blade absolutely coated in blood. "Se-Self-defense." Raleigh's listening but it's a distant roar over the sight of Hermann's blood leaking through his fingertips. 

"Raleigh!" Yancy slaps his face and sound rushes back in, including the blessed noise of ambulance sirens. Raleigh locates the proper spot for tube aspiration and gently inserts the needle to draw out the air, relived when Hermann's next breath is a little easier. "Herc, call Newt and Vanessa. Tell them to meet us at the hospital." 

"You _idiot_. What the hell did I tell you about guns?" he asks helplessly in German as he rides with Hermann in the ambulance. 

"... That you would kick... my ass from here to..." Hermann weaky manages before Raleigh places a finger on the pale lips. 

"Hush. The only thing I'm getting you is a Kevlar vest you can wear under your clothes the second you're better. You absolute _**idiot**_." Raleigh grips Hermann's hand as he keeps out of the way of the paramedic checking over his work. 

"Sir, you're lucky your friend knows how to do a tube aspiration. Any longer and you would've gone into shock," the paramedic informs Hermann frankly. 

"He's... a good friend." Hermann rasps in English, his face regaining some color as they slide to a halt in front of the ER. Raleigh holds his hand all the way up to the OR where he's turned back by nurses in scrubs. 

Newt and a woman who appears to be Hermann's ex-wife are there, the former pacing while the latter is filling out paperwork with a frown furrowing her brow. He's still covered in Hermann's blood and he thumps heavily next to the ex-wife (Vanessa, he thinks). 

"Oh my god. Are you _okay_?" she asks in concern as he absently swipes a hand through his hair and it comes away with a smear of clean skin. 

"Could be better," he admits quietly as he stares at his hands. 

"You're his para-rescue baker." Vanessa says with a small smile as she finishes the paperwork and sends Newt to drop it off with the desk nurse. "He talks a lot about you when we meet up for tea." 

"He, uh, he does?" Raleigh can't help the blush or the confused expression. 

"'He fixes my wounds and we speak of everything under the sun, often well after closing. He's on par with Newton on a great deal of topics.' Hermann's very fond of you. I wondered what it _was_ about you but now I see it." she remarks as she cups his elbow and leads him over to the unisex bathroom. He follows her without resistance, his heart aching for Hermann and Newt. 

Vanessa steers him to the sink and makes him wash his hands before she starts wiping the blood off his face with wet papertowels. He stands there while she does as she pleases while he processes the fact that Hermann thinks that much of him. 

"'Mnot much. I just run a café that serves good food and occasionally I patch up someone I consider my best friend." Raleigh sheepishly murmurs as he wipes the blood out of his hair. They return to the waiting room, watching as Newt paces until Raleigh can't stand it anymore. 

He hugs Newt to his chest, rocking them back and forth to calm down the irritated biologist. Raleigh wouldn't do this under normal circumstances but it seems like the best solution aside from hauling Newt into his lap and letting the man cry. As if on cue, Newt starts sobbing into his shoulder, cursing in a mix of German and English. He hums soft French lullabies as he rocks them to a rhythm that's fairly ingrained into his memory. Newt's fists hit him weakly as the smaller man finally hiccups and sniffles. 

Picking up Newt should be a problem but it isn't, not even after four years out of the military. He cradles Newt in his arms very gently and with great care. 

"Family of Mr. Gottlieb?" Raleigh and Vanessa look up with expectant gazes, whereas Newt keeps his face buried in Raleigh's neck. "He's sleeping but will accept visitors tommorow. The doctor recommends rest for the time being." The nurse doesn't sugar-coat it like so many would do. "I suggest you go home, sleep yourselves and come back rested for your visit." 

"Thank you ma'am." 

"Just doing my job sir."

* * *

**-October 30-**

Raleigh and Newt are tangled together on the apartment couch when his cell phone goes off with the _Cherno Alpha_ horn and he tumbles off the couch with a thud. He's so glad the pair don't have a coffee table. 

"Why did I pick that tone for the Russians?" Raleigh groans as he answers. "Bonjour."

"I hear you saved our little bird's life?" Sasha inquires as Raleigh hears shuffling outside of Hermann and Newt's apartment. 

"Yeah. Hold on, lemme get th' door." he slurs in English as he shuffles over to the door. "Hey." 

"We woke you, yes?" Aleksis rumbles quietly. 

"It's fine. Think we needed to get up anyway," Raleigh admits as he yawns with his jaw cracking. 

"I will wake tiny science man. Aleksis will take you home." Sasha says in a tone that brooks no argument from a sleepy Raleigh. He gathers up his jacket and tucks his phone into his front pocket. 

"Okay." he agrees as Aleksis leads him to a well-maintained 1940s roadster. "This is yours?" 

"Da. It is a gift from my sunshine. She knows I have a passion for old things." Aleksis's smile is bright and happy as he ushers Raleigh into the passenger seat. "You are very observant even when sleepy." 

"Mmm. Jus' need some coffee an' I'm good. Maybe a shower." he mumurs as they drive to _Gipsy Danger_. Aleksis parks and hauls him out and to the side entrance. Yancy's there with a small smile, scooping Raleigh up and quietly thanking the Russian as he turns to take Raleigh upstairs. 

"You are so dumb." Yancy huffs in French, stripping off Raleigh's jacket and scarf (both still covered in dried blood) as they shuffle through the apartment. Raleigh stumbles into the bathroom, undressing on auto-pilot as Yancy takes away the stained clothes. The heat of the shower wakes him up after the initial cold spurt of water. 

By the time he gets out, Yancy's left him a pile of new clothes on the counter. Raleigh pulls them on and sniffs at the scent of the detergent as he rubs at his eyes. 

"Thanks, Yan. 'Mup now." he hums as he hip-checks his brother away from the crepes. His brother only rolls his eyes and moves onto the coffee as though this is their day off from the café still bustling downstairs. Raleigh hears Chuck cursing in the kitchen below them and can't help the laugh that bubbles out of him. 

"Chuck's been in a sour mood all morning because he an' I had to take over the baking. He's frustrated because he can't get the same consistency out of his dough that's in yours." Yancy informs him as they take their breakfast in the window nook. 

"Practice. Did Vanessa call yet?" he snorts softly, worry lacing his tone with his question. 

"She said he's been in and out but nothing concrete. Nessa said she'll let us know when he's, as she puts it, 'not mumbling names and things I'd rather not be privy to at the moment'. He's alive but out of it, Rals. Stop worrying so much an' go teach Chuck that he can't manhandle our dough." Yancy counters with a shake of his head. 

"Distract myself and attempt to teach Chuck for the eighth time that flaky dough needs a delicate touch like he has with Max?" Raleigh inquires with a raised eyebrow and a wry grin. 

"Something like that, yeah." His brother says with a smile and a ruffle of Raleigh's damp hair.

* * *

He gets back into the swing of things even with the nagging worry hanging around in the back of his mind. 

"Chuck, c'mere. You ever pet a cat?" Raleigh asks casually. 

"... I did once." 

"So did you pet it softly or like you do with Max?" He asks as he kneads the dough with a light touch, watching as the light dawns in Chuck's eyes. "There we go. It's a soft touch but make sure there's no air bubbles. Use the pastry cutter." 

Chuck hesitates at his ball of dough before kneading it slowly and with care, not digging in like he usually does. Raleigh hums in approval and Chuck's smile is worth the first several disasters; it's small but pleased, the pride lighting up his face like nothing else had. 

"I did it." 

"Well done." Raleigh compliments as he moves on to the bean bun dough for Tendo as the man's busy with the fillings. The café's busier than usual due to the Halloween buzz and yesterday's event with people wanting to know if Hermann was alright. Tendo handles everything smoothly along with Herc, soothing worried patrons and delivering orders per the usual. 

Raleigh's incredibly glad that his team is a solid one. Yancy's taken over the delivery service as Raleigh takes orders, rattling them off in spite of everything, completing them with a smile that's perfunctory at best. 

His personal cell goes off just before closing and Tendo shoos him out the door with hand motions as he takes the last set of orders for the night. 

"Becket here," he states quietly as he looks up to take in the barely-there stars. 

"Oh good, I have the right number. Hermann's asking for you." It's Vanessa and Raleigh blows out a relieved breath before he can help it. "You've been worried sick, haven't you?" She asks shrewdly as Raleigh slumps against the building, scraping back his hair out of habit. 

"Shit. Am I obvious to _everyone_?" he grumbles at the sky and partially to Vanessa. 

"A little, sweetie, but it's nothing to be ashamed about. Hermann's a fantastic man and Newt is a spazz but a sweet one. Go get 'em, tiger." she laughs brightly. "Good luck." Vanessa hangs up before he can say anything else so he closes his eyes to take a deep breath. 

When he opens them again, he's smiling at the thought of them together. Raleigh straddles his bike, puts on his helmet and guns it, peeling down the fairly quiet street with a screech of motorcycle tires. 

It takes barely ten minutes to get there and he tucks his helmet under his arm, not even making it to the info desk before Duc snags his arm. "He's in Room 110. I'm glad a couple of my patients have such good friends." 

"Thanks, Duc." Raleigh replies as he sprints up the stairs two at a time, too impatient to wait for the elevator to come down. He slows down and he lets out a quiet gasp at the sight he's greeted with; Newt's kissing Hermann softly on the knuckles with his other hand cupping his cheek. 

Part of him aches for that to be a part of his life but... The sensible part tells him they're better off as friends. He pulls back and slides down until he's sitting flat on the floor with his legs sprawled out. 

"Hey, why'd you ask for Raleigh?" Newt questions after a long moment. 

"You know as well as I do what both of us feel for him. He brightens our day, he cooks for us... Newton, don't tell me you've gotten cold feet over the open part of our relationship?" Hermann murmurs hoarsely, Raleigh's heart fluttering madly at the words he's hearing. 

"No. It's just... What would a guy like that want with nerdy ol' us? He's handsome as _fuck_ , Herms, and it makes me feel a little jealous but I love him too." Newt protests quietly, different from his normally loud self. Raleigh picks himself up and retraces his steps, making sure his boots thud in the hallway as he reaches the door. "Hey, look who it is, Herms. Looks like Nessa called him after all." 

"I've... got a confession for the pair of you. It's, uh, it's a little embarassing." Raleigh blurts, slapping his free hand over his mouth as he realizes what he just said. He shuffles a bit, drops his helmet onto the table and drags a chair over to Hermann's other side. 

"Well?" Newt asks, looking a little nervous and a bit twitchy. 

"I kinda fell in love with you guys. I... Hermann first and then I met you and... I couldn't get either of you out of my head or my heart." He says while staring at the abstract pattern of Hermann's hospital blanket. "Fuck, it's like everytime I see you two kissing or your heads are bent together and you're arguing over science or math or the cloud formations of two weeks ago... It's like I get butterflies in my chest and my heart wants that." 

He takes another deep breath and continues into the silence, "I want to wake up with you every morning with your fluffy bed-head and sleepy faces an' I wanna make you breakfast. I wanna bring a smile to your face, get you to laugh at something stupid... Just the little stuff an' then there's the part where I wanna know how far to go before you make a noise of pure _**bliss**_ under my hands. I wanna know your routine so I can slip in an' make you happy." 

Raleigh blinks when there's a long-fingered hand cupping his chin and pulling him in for a short, sweet kiss. He practically purrs when he's pulled into another kiss, cupping the back of Newt's head and threading his fingers through the short hair to lick into the man's eager mouth. 

They break apart with heavy panting filling the formerly silent air. Raleigh turns to see Hermann flush a lovely shade of pink, the slender fingers tangled with his own. He presses kisses to Hermann's throat as he keeps tabs on Hermann's breath. 

"You are _extraordinary_ , Raleigh." Hermann remarks with a slight hitch in his breathing as Raleigh lightly nipped at the thin skin between Hermann's neck and shoulder. 

"Mmm, well, I did find you an' Newt. I'd say that's pretty damn important." he comments lightly against the shell of Hermann's ear, giving Hermann some space as he retreats for the time being. Raleigh pillows his head on Hermann's lap and doesn't expect the fingers carding through his hair. He leans into the touch, his eyes half-closed when Newt's join in for a very thorough petting. 

It's when he's halfway to dreamland that he hears the click of kitten heels and a feminine giggle. 

"He is cute, Hermann. I'm glad I called him; poor man wasn't going to last much longer in the pining department." Vanessa divulges as she hovers near the door. Raleigh snuffles as Newt runs his fingertips along Raleigh's cheekbone, the touch a shade possessive. He smiles as he relaxes into the hard mattress with his hip protesting the movement. "You should probably scoot him into your bed before he falls out of that chair. I'll see you three later." 

"... Thank you, Nessa." Hermann offers. 

"You're welcome, sweetie." She chuckles as Raleigh gets rolled onto the bed by a swearing Newt. 

"Jesus you're heavy, Raleigh." Newt grumbles as he tugs Raleigh's heavy boots off and wriggles onto the bed on Hermann's other side. "Hope the night shift is Jessop. Dunno how else we'll explain this."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ta-da! It's not done, not by a long-shot but they've made it to blurting out their feelings. :)


	11. Working It Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holidays leave me with a fluffy feeling. 
> 
> Enjoy!

* * *

**-October 31-**

He buries his face into something solid and then it moves. Raleigh makes a mental note that he's cuddling a _someone_ instead of a something even as he looks up with bleary eyes. Hermann's out cold, the normally tidy undercut messy and sticking up everywhere. Newt's snoring into what looks like a stolen pillow as his leg twitches in his sleep. 

The fond smile comes unbidden even as the steady beep of Hermann's heartbeat sounds above and to his right. He sits up, scrubbing at his eyes as he surveys the room in the light of day. 

The nurse coming in to check on the patients barely glances at him as she checks over the patient charts and notes something down in Hermann's file before moving on. Raleigh stretches as far as he can before slipping off the creaky bed to slip his boots back on. 

The scent of coffee, specifically a Cinnabunny, lures him out into the lobby where Tendo's delivering to the nursing staff and those in the waiting rooms. "'Sup boss man? Have a good nap?" 

"Yeah," he grins easily, snagging one of the coffee holders that Tendo had a hard time balancing. "Ya need help?" 

"Yes, yes I do. There's more in my car," Tendo says with fervor, his shoulders slumping in relief. "You are a _savior_ , Rals-" 

"Quit extolin' my virtues an' deliver coffee to these folks." Raleigh teases as he hands out the coffee, comfortable in his _Gipsy Danger_ hoodie, jeans and scuffed leather boots. He's floating from last night and delivers the coffee with mega-watt smiles. He nearly skips back to Hermann's room, grinning as he sees Hermann sitting up and eating scrambled eggs with a methodical attack pattern. "Hey." 

"Raleigh." The other patient (a younger man with a broken leg) does a double-take at Hermann's happy tone. "You're still here." 

"Hey. Jus' helpin' Tendo deliver GD coffee. He even brought you tea." Raleigh drawls in German, dropping into the Garmisch area slang. He pulls it from behind his back and presents the to-go cup to one very pleased... Hmm. What were Hermann and Newt to him now? "Question, Hermann." 

"Yes?" 

"What are we, exactly?" 

"Ah." Hermann pokes at his eggs with a distinct frown. "I hadn't thought that far." 

"Hey, none of us even thought it could work. We're just gonna have to figure this stuff out as we go okay?" Raleigh smoothes Hermann's cowlick with his fingers, smiling at Hermann as he declares his opinion. 

"I suppose so." Hermann sighs as he goes back to eating, Raleigh watching Hermann's right side cautiously. The surgery had closed the perforations. The doctor wanted to keep Hermann for a few more days to see how the lung was healing but Hermann would be allowed to go home soon. "We do have to discuss this with Newton present at the very least." 

"Of course." Raleigh agrees as his phone buzzes from a text. "It's Newt." 

**You two together? -N**

_Yeah. What's up? -R_

**I just thought about what we are now. -N**

**Stuck in a funding meeting. -N**

**It's already sorted but boring. -N**

**So? -N**

"I take it he's thought about our situation?" Hermann inquires as the nurse takes away his finished meal (likely while Raleigh had been reading Newt's texts). 

"He's in a funding meeting but they've all sorted the issue out and now he's bored." Raleigh relays as he types back. 

_We thought about it too. -R_

_I say we take things as they go. -R_

_Hermann agrees. -R_

"Of course Newt is bored. He cannot sit still for the life of him." Hermann snarks dryly. 

"I guess we're just gonna have to tire him out." Raleigh purrs and Hermann flushes a bright red at the implication. 

He's just glad they're not having this conversation in English; the neighboring patient would be **mortified** if he understood what they were talking about. 

"Raleigh!" The scandalized tone belies the elevated heart rate. 

"Just sayin' what you were thinkin'," he maintains with a wry grin. "Anyway, so we're definitely a triad. Do we wanna be exclusive?" 

"You know as well as I do, you're the only other person we'd consider including." Hermann observes quietly as he holds hands with Raleigh. 

_Your opinion on it being just us? -R_

**No one else, dude. -N**

**Don't think I can stretch that far. -N**

"Newt agrees on th' exclusivity part. Anything else I need to know?" he asks as he kicks his feet back and forth on the edge of the bed. 

_That's something we all agree on. -R_

_Anything else? -R_

**I like the occasional rough night. -N**

"Newton is fond of a monthly night of-I'm sure he's telling you that. I do have a marking kink, both being the marked and the mark maker. What about you?" Hermann admits with a slight flush creeping back after it fades. 

"I don't mind either of those. Got 'em myself." Raleigh says with an appreciative tone. "... Got a serious bite kink. Only like getting tied up if I c'n slip the bonds if I'm feelin' uncomfortable an', uh, th' last one's a bit... _personal_. Don't wanna discuss it out in th' open." Raleigh blushes at his last bedroom secret but he's sure it'll be okay admitting it to these two. 

"That's perfectly alright. I think that's enough for now." Hermann reassures him with a soft smile.

* * *

**-November 7-**

The leaves crunch as Raleigh steps on them because he's distracted by how the sunlight falls over Hermann's face as they hold hands. Newt's off ahead of them, poking at the frost-edged pools of water in the park with childish glee. 

They're going at a slower pace due to Herman's healing lung but their dynamic hasn't changed much. Raleigh still talks about everything he can think of with Hermann. He teases Newt about his obsession with plants but helps water them after he steals kisses from the chapped lips. 

Kisses with Hermann are sweet, chaste and very limited. The mathematician is more than willing but his body reminds them they need to wait on the physical front. Raleigh has yet to divulge quite a few of his secrets but so do Newt and Hermann. They're taking it in increments that are progressive but small. 

Sleeping arrangements are easiest; Raleigh's on the right, radiating heat for Hermann to curl his thin frame into on cold nights. Hermann's in the middle with Newt on the left, the latter fond of stealing the blankets if they let him. 

"Raleigh, Hermann, come see this! The tadpoles are still alive!" Newt yells back to get their attention.

"Newton, please," Hermann sighs and the white plume of breath fascinates Newt more than the tadpoles. 

Raleigh snickers softly before whispering to Hermann in French, "Should we give him something better to look at?" 

"You have my attention." Hermann laughs softly, gasping as Raleigh dips Hermann into the 1940s kiss that has Newt giving them a wolf-whistle. He pulls back and rights them with a sharp tug that has him on the bottom as Hermann lands on top of him with a disgruntled huff. "Now what, my baker?" 

"Now we wait for Newt to help you up and for me to forget abut my back." Raleigh wheezes out with a laugh. Hermann's slender fingers hover above Raleigh's hip and then start feeling for the area Raleigh knows is going to bruise. He hisses in a breath but sighs at the cool fingertips resting against it. "Hey, you're gettin' another kiss if you keep that up... Oh that's nice." The happy noise when Hermann presses his cold hands along the area is interrupted by a panting Newt. 

"You guys okay?! That looked bad." Newt's eyes are wide and worried behind his glasses. 

"My back's gonna be sore in the morning but I'll be okay. Hermann?" Raleigh asks as he strokes back a rogue strand that had fallen from his boyfriend's careful styling. 

"Professor Gottlieb?" Hermann stiffens and a small sigh escapes him. Raleigh sits up to see a kid scuffing his feet in the frost. 

"Mr. Tunari, I stated that I was not to be bothered." Hermann snaps with a lot more patience than Raleigh would've had with the kid. He gets helped up by Newt as they watch it unfold. 

"Yessir. We understand, sir, but... We were worried." Tunari blurts after a short time pinned under Hermann's long stare. "Half the class was fidgeting in their seats," the kid continues, practically babbling now that he had the chance to speak. "Dr. Lightcap and Mr. D'onofrio are having a heck of a time keeping up with your students." 

"As you can see, I am recovering." Hermann points out with a great Spock impression, raising one eyebrow at Tunari. "Run along; tell your classmates to settle down and to _listen_ to Dr. Lightcap. If I do not feel you have taken her instruction seriously, she will return until the class passes her mastery tests." 

Tunari replies with a civilian salute, warily eyeing Raleigh as he straightens to his full height to crack his back. 

"... Will you be alright, sir?" 

"That's my partner. He's protective of me. I am perfectly safe." Hermann reassures with a wry smirk, Raleigh happy to lean down and give him a kiss to further the image. "Go. I imagine you are late to your Forensics 103 class that started five minutes ago." 

Tunari looks at his phone and bolts, cursing soundly every step of the way back. 

"Hey, your breathin' okay? Doc said not too many kisses with ya until you're fully recovered." Raleigh asks as Newt wriggles under his arm so that they're in a huddle. 

"Raleigh," Hermann murmurs as he leans back against Raleigh's chest, "You worry far too much." 

"Yeah, dude, you're worse than a Mom when it comes to us." Newt adds in as he wraps his arms around around Raleigh's waist. 

"I... It's just... I almost lost Yan once. I can't lose anyone else," he says after a long pause burying his face against Hermann's neck to breathe in the scent of wildflowers and chalk. He nuzzles into the scent happily, jerking his head up when he feels someone watching them. 

"You're adorable when you're lost in them." Vanessa teases as Raleigh lowers his head to pillow it on Hermann's thin shoulder like a sleepy jaguar. 

"Hmm." he gives her a sly smile and jumps when his phone buzzes. "Probably GD stuff, gotta take it." 

**_Need ya t' teach me how t' make that stupid_ **

**_spiced-cider latte again. -C_ **

_Now? On my date? -R_

**Yeah, really. Yer brother said so. -C**

_My brother's an ass. -R_

**Least he ain't mine. -C**

_Ugh. Fine. But I'm bringing them both. -R_

**Whatever. -C**

* * *

Raleigh grumbles under his breath about stupid Aussies and their need for perfection, entering the café and blinking when it's semi-lit. 

"Yan? Chuck?" The lights flick on fully at his questioning and he tenses up. 

"Surprise!" Yancy and the staff cheered at a reasonable volume, knowing Raleigh's aversion to super-loud noises. He looks up at the banner and cracks up laughing. 

**_YOU FINALLY CONFESSED. GOOD JOB. NOW KISS EACH OTHER, YOU COMPLETE DORKS._ **

Raleigh obliges the banner, turning to French-kiss Newt with a happy noise. He turns to Hermann and presses a chaste kiss to the already kissed lips, only to purr in satisfaction when Hermann pulls him down for a second (much better) kiss. 

"The doctor said I could kiss you now but that I have to take it slow." Hermann answers the unspoken question that's on Raleigh's lips. "I believe she said I could get back to work part-time." 

"That's great, meine galaxie." Raleigh murmurs as he gently taps Hermann's back. "Can I get you a seat?" 

"Of course-Did you call me what I think you called me?" The brilliant grin allows him give Hermann the soft look he's been hiding for far too long. 

"Yeah." He tugs on Newt's hand and pulls him in close, touching his forehead to Newt's as he caresses his boyfriend's face. Hermann's slender fingers lace with his other hand as they stand together and sway to their own rhythm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm doing the PacRim SS! I can't wait to see who I got~


	12. Rescues and Memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovely readers!~ I'm sad to announce that PvB is finally over. This is the last chapter and everything is mostly wrapped up. 
> 
> If you want an epilogue please comment!

* * *

**-November 23-**

Raleigh's been so thankful for Hermann coming in with no injuries. The Kevlar vest is in regular use by Hermann after the incident with the punctured lung, which means he's mostly protected and knows now that sometimes discression is the better part of valor. 

It's also the moment when Hermann comes in with a box that's singed at the edges, being careful to keep it steady. Raleigh groans when he hears the tiny mewling noises coming out of the box. Some people deserve to be punched and people who leave animals out in the cold are the _worst_. 

"I found some children deliberately trying to burn this with the kittens inside. Needless to say I called Officer Jessop," Hermann sniffs imperiously as he sets the box on the table that's wedged in the corner. Raleigh peers over the edge and coos at the small kittens he sees inside. He scoops up all six of them, relived that they appear to be hungry but otherwise alright. 

The kittens wriggle but quiet down when Raleigh sets them inside a nest of towels that Chuck had set up out of a delivery crate. Chuck had a huge soft spot for animals, especially the bulldog that was Gipsy's mascot animal. Max waddles around the shop and gets a lot of attention from the kids whose parents come in for coffee or to get out of the cold weather. 

Yancy shoos Chuck back to the counter to serve as he starts to heat up water for the kitten formula. When the water is warm enough for the powder to dissolve into it, Yancy pulls it off and carefully stirs it in. The kittens are sucking on Raleigh's fingers and mewing pitifully but he pets them as gently as he can. 

His brother sets down six bottles and hands Hermann two of them as he scoops up a kitten (this one a Tortie like the one upstairs), feeding it until it falls asleep. Raleigh sets it down to sleep and hands an auburn one to Yancy as he feeds the tiny dilute Tortie. Hermann's feeding a calico with a quiet hum that ocassionally drifts into old German lullabies. 

Newt brings in cold air by coming in through the kitchen but shuts it immediately when he hears the pitiful mews. Hermann's feeding the second to last kitten (a tuxedo) as the biologist drops his voice. 

"Oh geez, you weren't kidding Hermann." Newt gently picks up the last, a tiny fluffy grey with a thick streak of white down it's chin that draws down to it's belly and leave the kitten looking like it's been dipped in milk. "Hey little one." Yancy shoves a bottle in Newt's direction as he cradles the auburn one, his gaze soft as he sets it down into the fluffy pile. 

"I get the feeling the little ones have already found a home." Hermann murmurs as Newt feeds the grey 'n white with a tender expression that hasn't left since he picked it up. 

"We're keeping at least one, Herms." Newt fires back but it's lazy and no sense of retaliation is even remotely in his reply.

* * *

The kittens do find homes and they do stay within the core group of Gipsy's regulars. The grey 'n white (Tesla) as well as the dark Tortie (Turing) go with Newt and Hermann; the tuxedo (Romeo) finds it's way to Mako; the auburn (Crimson) and the calico (Typhoon) end up with the triplets and the dilute Tortie (Striker) ends up with the Hansens. Max loves Striker and the feeling is entirely mutual. 

Both animals are well-trained and the inspectors have no problem once they understand that Max nor Striker are allowed in the kitchen area or behind the counter. They often sit with distressed people or with those who need a moment to relax. 

This is never more apparent than when Raleigh finds himself rescuing again.

He's in the middle of making a cappucino when he hears the sirens of a fire truck not fifteen feet from the café. Raleigh's entire body stiffens instantly and he's pulled out of his memories by Yancy pressing his face into Raleigh's neck, hugging him tightly. 

"Ya back with me Rals?" Raleigh squeezes his brother in reassurance and slowly shakes his head to clear away the flashes of remembered blood. 

"'Mback but..." His brother nods in understanding as he flips the sign to CLOSED.

"Come on. We're empty anyway, petite." Yancy pulls out the kit and tugs on Raleigh's hand as they break into a synchronized run to the sight of the fire. They make it there before the fire truck and Yancy's already pulled out two coughing adults and a kid. 

Raleigh's got them all patched up and he leaves Yancy with the kit when he hears a terrible scream. Busting down the door with his steel-tipped boots is an action that's been ingrained since Basic. He ushers the Mother out and kicks down the next door, scooping up the fussy twin children as the woman carried her pets. 

By that time, they're joined by Yancy's department and they make thier way back outside. 

Raleigh directs the patching up barking out orders that are as natural as breathing. Yancy's in his gear bringing out people's lost pets and family members. By the time the blaze is out, both of them are exhausted beyond belief.

The café's been reopened for those who are fine aside from some mild smoke inhalation. Striker and Max are pulling double duty as they play on the floor and bring forth laughter as the Hansens and Tendo hold down the fort. They stay a little longer but Yancy's swaying on his feet and Raleigh's not far behind. 

Hermann and Newt support his larger frame between them as they take him home. The shower is short as well as to the point before he collapses onto the bed. They all cuddle together, Raleigh curling around Hermann and Newt; glad that they're together and safe as they can be in his arms. 

He smiles into Hermann's fluffy hair at the memory of patching up a complete stranger in his kitchen nearly three years ago. It had definitely been a good choice to follow his training and eventually his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't want for this to end but I didn't want to stretch it beyond it's natural ending. Epilogue is available upon request via comment so don't panic if you saw a detail that didn't get more spotlight. 
> 
> Now: Loved, hated or range of a teaspoon?


	13. Epilogue: Handfastings and Happy Endings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awww. You guys love this thing so much that I can write an epilogue with a smile. Words with one of these (*) on the end are translated on the bottom of the chapter. 
> 
> A huge thank you to those who were there from the start and to any future readers who may find this, welcome to the Pac Rim fandom. 
> 
> Enjoy!

* * *

**-One Year Later; December 20; Florida-**

Raleigh takes in the sight where Yancy's going to get handfasted to the Wiccan practicing Gage twins (the idiot had finally asked them out after the fire not fifteen minutes from _Gipsy Danger_ and _Romeo Blue_ ) with a soft smile. 

"Hey, Raleigh, you got a sec?" Bruce Gage asks as he walks up to stand next to Raleigh on the balcony of the hotel they're staying at. 

"Sure." 

"I know we usually ask the parent but... In your case, we prefer asking you an' your sister but she's not gettin' in until tommorow." The man's hands are flexing open and closed as Bruce tries not to wring his hands. 

"Ask me what?" Raleigh asks as he fully faces the older twin. 

"We'd like you to give your blessing and help tie the ribbons." Bruce looks hopeful as he says it and Raleigh can see Trevin lingering in the entranceway. 

"Of course. He deserves to be happy and he's fuckin' blissful with the pair of you. C'mere," he motions to Trevin as well, draping his arms over the brothers. "You have my blessing and Jazzy's too when she gets here, there's no doubt on that. But... You fuck around on my brother, you're gonna be six feet under." The steel that slices through the companionable atmosphere is palatable. "We clear?" 

"Crystal." The twins say seriously to his threat. He relaxes and so do the twins, the soft ambience returning to them as the sun dips lower into the sea. 

"We'll do our best to not hurt him, Raleigh. He's so bright and we can't dull that light for anything." Trevin murmurs as he leans into Raleigh's inviting touch. 

"Rals, you stealing my husbands already?" Yancy teases from the balcony above them. 

"Nah. Just some stuff we needed to discuss. Get your butt down here already." Raleigh calls up with a grin. 

"Wait right there!" Yancy takes barely ten minutes before he's surrounded by the Gage twins and exchanging tender looks with the pair. "Hey babe." 

"Hey bunny." Bruce hums as he touches foreheads with Yancy, pulling back so that Trevin can do the same. 

"Hey gorgeous." Trevin purrs as he kisses Yancy and Raleigh rolls his eyes at the mushy display. 

"Alright, _alright_ , enough with the squishy pet names," Raleigh groans while waving his hand in their general direction. "You got everything memorized?" 

"Yup. Rals, c'mere." Yancy reaches out for him and the Gages open their arms as well. "Did I pick good ones?" They drop into French and even further into slang as the twins exchange looks over their heads. 

"Yeah, Yan, you really did. I promised to bury 'em six feet under if they hurt you." 

"Raleigh..." Yancy's look is one of fondness however and the chiding tone is fairly light. "You gonna be alright running the joint operation?" 

"Yeah. Just gonna take some getting used to, y'know?" he admits quietly as they watch the sun set in the arms of family.

* * *

**-December 21; Day of the Handfasting-**

The day dawns bright and warm, the winds gentle enough to ruffle the hair of the guests. Bruce and Trevin start by inviting their deities into the blessed circle. They then invite the guests, Raleigh and Jazmine taking their proper places. 

The officiator prompts the vows, causing all three to laugh as they pull out of their bubble. 

Raleigh ties the first ribbon, white for everlasting love. Jazmine follows with hers, red for passionate love and the final one they tie together is yellow for happiness. The twin press sweet kisses to Yancy's lips and then the circle is dispersed, the deities invited to stay or leave. 

The reception is beautiful and happiness is shining out of Yancy's hazel eyes. Jazmine's in a corner with her lover and watching it all with an affectionate expression. Mako's cuddled up to Cheung while Jin and his fiancé Ily are out on the floor dancing. Tendo, Allison and Felix (their kid) are all dancing in a circle while Tendo's got one hand on Allison's baby bump. 

The Kaidonovskys are waltzing in the corner, giving each other affectionate kisses. Everyone who's a regular at _Gipsy Danger_ is probably here except for the Hansens because they volunteered to run GD. Raleigh seeks out his lovers, greeting them with smiling kisses that cause them to part with tender looks. 

"How's the convention so far?" he asks out of sheer curiosity. 

"Ugh. Hermann keeps getting hit on and I'm three seconds from punching them. 'Professor Gottlieb, can you sign my book?'" Newt grumbles into Raleigh's chest as Hermann chuckles dryly. 

"'Can you sign my chest Dr. Geiszler?' 'That theoretical book on aliens is wonderful. Mind if we discuss it over coffee?' My goodness. They can't get enough of Newton." Hermann quotes with a teasing tone. 

"But none of them get to come home with my husbands." Raleigh says quietly as he wraps his arms around Newt and Hermann's waists. "Maybe I need to make that clear." 

"Please do." Hermann murmurs gratefully as they watch Bruce and Trevin spin Yancy between them. 

"I second that idea. Geez. It's like they've never seen an engagement cuff before." Newt holds up his wrist to show off the thick leather cuffs Raleigh had gotten them as a promise to never stray. Both were inscribed in German with the endearments Raleigh loves to shower them with when they are together. 

"Then I'm definitely dropping by," Raleigh hums thoughtfully as he presses kisses to both Hermann and Newt's foreheads. "If for nothing other than to show the fans that you're very much taken." 

"Hey, you made it!" Yancy's smile is incredibly warm as he hugs Newt and Hermann. "You eat yet?" 

"We've eaten. How has your day been?" Hermann answers with his own smile that lights up the room. Raleigh couldn't be more overjoyed that his husband to be and his brother are both blissfully happy. 

"It's been wonderful. It's hard to stop smiling." Yancy confesses with a laugh. "Your convention?" 

"They keep hitting on my husbands," Raleigh snorts dryly. "We're gonna make sure it doesn't happen again." 

"You do that Rals." Yancy says before he's whisked back into Bruce's arms with a joyful look.

* * *

**-December 22-**

Raleigh clips on the vistor's badge and seeks out Hermann's lecture room first. 

"My lecture isn't for another ten minutes-Oh, Raleigh, you're here." Hermann finishes stacking the papers on his desk and comes around it to accept Raleigh's hug. 

"Hi." he grins as Hermann rolls his eyes at the silly greeting. "You look dashing as ever meine galaxie. Did Tendo get to your hair?" Raleigh runs a careful hand over Hermann's fresh undercut fuzz and hums as Hermann sighs happily. 

"Professor-Umm. I'll just go..." Raleigh stares at the intruder with a lazy, possessive grip on Hermann. 

"Raleigh, did you scare away an admirer?" Hermann asks with a quiet huff as they detangle themselves. 

"... Maybe. You're perfectly fine doing it yourself but sometimes I like scaring them off." Raleigh admits sheepishly. "Isn't Newt's halfway across the center?" 

"It is and Newt just asked me whether or not you'd arrived yet." Hermann held up his phone and the screen was lit up with an equation that Raleigh can't even solve. "Ah. It's shorthand for our anniversary and your name in binary." 

"That's pretty cool. I'll see you at the lecture, petite." Raleigh cups Hermann's chin and kisses him thoroughly, pleased at the tender look Hermann favors him with as he shoos him out for the time being. 

He weaves through the crowd and someone bumps into him halfway to Newt's area. 

"I thought I saw a familiar face." Duc laughs as he spies Raleigh's badge. "You look out of place." 

"Not ta mention I'm towerin' over most of them. You headed to your gal?" he answers with a raised brow. 

"Kaori's working. She hates these things with a burning passion." Duc laughs as he pulls them into a sheltered alcove. "You're here with yours?" 

"Well, that an' my brother's handfastin' yesterday. He's off on his honeymoon." Raleigh replies with a genial shrug. He rolls onto his tip-toes and spots Newt's booth in the biology area. "Found my other one. Nice seein' ya, Duc." Raleigh heads directly for Newt. 

"Same, Raleigh. Enjoy your time." Duc says as he heads for the medical side of the scienticfic convention. 

"Guten morgen Schatz.*" He sing-songs from the edge of Newt's booth, half of it piled with unsigned _Theoretical Fictional Alien Biology: Kaiju_ books and the other half full of silly doodles because Newt can't sit still unless he's concentrating. 

"Excuse me, I'm very much-Raleigh!" Newt's face brightens with a dimpled smile as he tugs Raleigh down for a very nice French kiss. 

"Hmm. Maybe I should drop by more often," Raleigh purrs with half-lidded eyes. "if I get kisses like that." 

Newt blushes bright pink and smoothes Raleigh's collar with his hands. "Stop that you. I can't concentrate if you give me bedroom eyes, babe." 

"Oh?" Raleigh's lips pull up into a smirk as he leans on the booth with a casual air and shifts through the drawings with one hand. "Am I a _distraction_ , Dr.?" 

"You know you are," comes the squeaky reply as Newt trips over his other stack of books. Raleigh takes pity on his husband to be and helps him set up fully without flustering him any further. "Why so you have to be so good at that?" 

"Only because you're equally as distractin' when you're in GD." Raleigh hums as he crowds Newt up against the back area of the booth. "The coffee steams up your lenses and then you take 'em off but you don't do it very often." He playfully nips at Newt's neck, taking care not to leave a mark above the messy collar. 

"Yeah?" Newt asks with a hitched breath. 

"Mmm-hmm. You usually only take 'em off at home, where Hermann and I c'n take you to new heights." he rumbles softly as he presses kisses to Newt's bared throat. "Wanna show those bastards who's husband you really are? Hmm?" 

"Oh fuck yes." Newt sighs out as Raleigh nips again, much harsher than before as he blissfully gives his lover hickies. 

"Better?" Raleigh questions when he's done marking up Newt's neck. 

"Much." Newt draws him down for another kiss before he's kicked out with a playful swat to his butt. "Now shoo. Go distract Hermann." 

Raleigh chuckles to himself as he repeats the journey and watches the lecture Hermann's giving on physics. His other lover is quite passionate and the audience is utterly enthralled, as well they should be. He leans on the doorway fondly watching Hermann's hands paint a picture of the world through his models. 

By the time Hermann's done, the entire audience is on the edge of their seats. There's a standing ovation and Raleigh joins in with them. He watches as several of the audience stay back with lovestruck sighs. Hermann's clearing up for the next lecture and the admirers help him out, nearly face planting more than they probably want to admit. 

"Can I help you?" Hermann's all warm but his gaze is unwelcoming. Three of them laugh nervously and flee past Raleigh while the remaining four seem to gather their courage. 

"Umm, would you sign my book?" Hermann signs the group's books with a sharp and deft hand before raising an eyebrow when they scuff their shoes on the carpet nervously. 

Raleigh strolls right past them and dips Hermann in a very appreciated kiss. Hermann practically lolls in his grip as Raleigh drops his head to touch Hermann's forehead, both of them giggling at the dismayed groans of the thirty-something's who finally understand. 

"Newton did say you were feeling amorous today," Hermann teases lightly as he strokes his knuckles down Raleigh's cheek. "I do believe that scared off my most ardent admirers." 

"If you say so babe." Raleigh murmurs as he carefully spins them around to land in Hermann's squashy armchair. "How's your back?" 

"I have a brace. Newton is quite handy with a sewing machine." Hermann informs him as Newt swaggers into the lecture room. "Hello Schatz." 

"Were they worse than yesterday?" 

"Yes but Raleigh put a stop to that quite... thoroughly." Hermann's cheeks get high spot of color as the physicist fans himself. 

Newt nods in agreement and adds, "He gave me hickies." 

"Like I said, I don't like the idea of sharing the bed with anyone else." he admits frankly, not even phased by Newt's weight on his other leg. "I might have a bit of a possessive streak too." 

"We knew that the last time we made love." Hermann quips with a wry smile. "So long as we are all in agreement I see no reason not to continue as we have." 

"Sure was a good day you picked to defend that girl. Otherwise I don't think we'd be here now." Raleigh mutters as they stay curled together on the surprisingly large chair. 

"I don't know. Hermann was actually about to visit GD for tea since Tendo said you guys were pretty good with it." Newt hums as he plays with the leather strip of Raleigh's cuff. 

"Huh. Guess we got lucky." He responds as he wraps his arms around them. 

"Very lucky indeed."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've got a triplet fic that centers on this verse but after that, PvB is officially done. Thank you all so very much for the support and I hope to see you all as I continue my Pac Rim journey!
> 
> *Good morning treasure


	14. Extra: Food and Drink of Plaumenkuchen vom Blech

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A list of everything that was in the fic throughout the chapters. If you'd like the recipes, drop a comment down below!

* * *

**Food**

Braided Bread

Lemon Tortes

Plaumenkuchen vom Blech

Cinnamon Muffins

Blueberry Bagels

Plain Bagels 

Raspberry Muffins 

Banana Muffins 

Chocolate Muffins

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup 

German Apple Cake 

Chestnut Tart 

Carrot Cake 

Hazelnut Cake 

Hazelnut Muffins 

Plum Cinnamon Rose 

Marble Cake 

Dampfnudel

Otachi Pops 

Sopapilla 

Cinnamon Spiced Bread 

Caramelized red bean bun (sweet) 

Cinnamon Swirl Cake 

Pork bun 

Fried potatoes 

Jäger Schintzel 

Sugar Cookies 

Bean Buns 

Bread 

Scrambled eggs 

Wedding Cake

* * *

**Drink**

Spiced cider latte 

Latte 

Oolong Tea 

Double Expresso Latte 

Earl Grey Tea 

Chamomile Tea

Spiced Cider 

Pumpkin Spice Latte

Cinnabunny Latte 

Crémé Brûlée latte 

Lady Grey Tea 

Macchiato 

Champagne

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment pretty please~


End file.
